White Snow: Initiation
by Vhetin1138
Summary: Book 3: Cin Vhetin and his new partner, Jay, set out to bring in a sadistic gangster before he can strike again. See reviews for full synopsis. Rated T for violence and some language.
1. Prologue

Star Wars

White Snow

Initiation

A long time ago, in a galaxy far,

far away...

**Underworld Cantina, Imperial City (formerly Coruscant)**

The music that was blasting from the stage of the Underworld Cantina was more annoying than usual, and the voice of the Dug that was screaming into the amplicoder ground at Kassh's sensitive hearing. He passed by the stage, usuing all his willpower to keep himself from plugging his ears and screaming in irritation. Instead, he brushed his one remaining brown-skinned lekku over his shoulder and kept walking through the filth-ridden cantina, eyes trained resolutely forward, fists clenching in annoyance.

He reached the reinforced door in the back; the one no one without clearance was allowed to enter. The Rodian guard at the door trained his blaster on him, but Kassh simply held up his hand, palm-out, showing him the segmented diamond tattoo on his palm. The Rodian jumped and stepped aside.

"I'm sorry, sir," the alien said in Huttese, his reedy, bug-like voice even more annoying than the Dug performer's, "but you must relinquish your weapons."

Kassh didn't say anything. He just scowled, handed him his heavily modified pistol, and keyed open the door. Instantly a wave of disgusting scents washed over him, but that did not come as a surprise, considering the room's inhabitants.

Crowded around the large round table in the center of the room was almost every major criminal mastermind and gang leader in the galaxy. There were four Nikto sitting bunched up together, two Twi'leks - a male and a female – sitting on opposite ends of the durasteel table, and no less than three Hutts, relining their repulsive slimy bulks on cushioned thrones. The huge, revolting slugs were even without their servants and majordomos, who usually followed them everywhere. That was a surprise; this meeting must be more secretive and important than he thought. It brought that much more satisfaction to the fact that he was interrupting unexpectedly.

"The profits from the Malastare podraces is decreasing dramatically," one of the Nikto was saying. "Ever since it was leaked that the races were fixed-"

He stopped mid-sentence and stared at Kassh with wide eyes. The rest of the beings in the room looked over in surprise as Kassh swaggered confidently into their midst. One of the Hutts, that fat blubberpot, Jabba, narrowed his reptilian eyes in anger and rumbled, "_You!_"

Kassh inspected his long, sharpened fingernails with feigned nonchalance. "Yes. Me, unfortunately."

Jabba tried to wriggle his way towards him, but without his repulsor sled, he was unable to accomplish anything but a pathetic flop of his tail. The gangster was not as young as he once had been. He fell back against his pillows and growled in Huttese, "Give me one good reason why I should not have my guards in the cantina shoot you on sight."

Another Hutt, the equally slimy but slightly less repulsive slug called Rotta, held up a fat, greasy hand. "Wait," he gurgled. "Let me speak."

He turned his flabby face towards Kassh. "What is it you want with us, deserter?"

Kassh snorted with disdain. "I would hardly consider myself a _deserter_, Rotta. Is it such a crime to wish to pursue my own career?"

"It is when you take _my _money to begin your 'career,'" Jabba growled.

"Come now, Jabba," Kassh said. "How much money have you stolen from your many employers over the course of your long career?"

Jabba grumbled and settled deeper in his cushioned seat. If it was possible, his flabby head sunk deeper into his chest, making his neck pile up around it like a wrapped hose.

One of the Nikto spoke up, saying in his own gravelly voice, "And how can we trust this one? He has already betrayed us once. For all we know, he could have brought the Imperials right to our doorstep!"

The third Hutt, Kamna, scowled and said, "I think we should throw him out right now."

Kassh sneered. _If you could_, he thought to himself, _you fat old pus bucket_.

The beautiful female Twi'lek settled her delicate arms on the table in front of her. "No," she said quietly. "I'm interested in what he has to say."

Kassh inclined his head. "Thank you, Sekha."

He turned to the rest of them. "As you are no doubt aware, our operations within the galaxy's underworld are becoming increasingly difficult to conceal from the Empire. The Republic before was lenient enough for our separate organizations to grow, to flourish. But Emperor Palpatine's iron fist is slowly squeezing the life – and the money – from even our oldest of traditions."

There were mutters of reluctant agreement around the table. Even Jabba, his head still sunk down into his neck, nodded slowly.

"My faitful employees," Kassh continued, "have run calculations, and given the current rate of the Empire's expansion, we shall all be driven out of business and executed by the end of this galactic decade."

There was no movement at the table. Then the Nikto began whispering among themselves and Sekha nodded slowly, a thoughful look in her dark eyes.

"As it is," Kassh said, "the strongest among our organizations, Black Sun, the one criminal consortium that would have half a chance of threatening the Emperor's expansion, has currently _allied _itself with the Empire in an attempt to seek refuge within its fold. That is absolutely _unacceptable_."

"Why?" another of the Nikto said. "Let Xizor do what he wishes with his own organization. As long as the Emperor has one criminal syndicate under his thumb, he will not look to claim another."

Kassh gazed at the speaker with open skepticism. "You are free to choose to believe that while the Empire closes in on you, Master T'aaki. But I assure you; if you chose to hide away and hope the big, bad Empire bypasses your doorstep, you will be cursing your own birth as they force you to stand before the firing squad."

T'aaki glanced between his brothers, looking suitably nervous. Kassh began to pace back and forth in front of them, hands clasped behind his back. "And Xizor believes he can escape by selling our organizations out? I am no traitor when compared with Xizor's treachery."

"While Prince Xizor is in charge of Black Sun, he has the Emperor's approval," the male Twi'lek said, speaking for the first time since Kassh had entered. "Any retalitory action against him would only bring the Empire to our doorstep even faster. What can we do to stop him?"

"Absolutely nothing," came a new voice, speaking Basic. Everyone in the room, including Kassh, turned to face the new speaker.

Dressed in deep purple-black robes, his black hair pulled back into a long braid that fell almost to the floor, Prince Xizor regally strode into the room, flanked by two Ubese bodyguards and his personal aide, Guri. Xizor's mottled green skin cast strange shadows down his face, making him look otherworldly and dramatic. But, knowing Xizor, he probably enjoyed it that way.

The Falleen prince surveyed everyone in the room, then said, "I became the greatest among you for a single, simple reason: _because _I allied myself with the Empire."

Jabba chuckled. "Really? And what exactly does the Emperor contribute to Black Sun? Taxes? Inspections? Budgets?"

"_Immunity_," Xizor replied calmly. "While the Emperor does take a... substantial amount from our annual income, we have not run afoul of Imperial Law for quite some time."

"You joined forces the Empire only months ago," Sekha pointed out. "How can you assume to predict the mind of the Emperor in so short a time?"

Xizor's scaly green-skined face broke into a smile. His razor-sharp teeth glinted in the dim light. "Because the Emperor is, at heart, nothing more than a businessman, as I am. Great minds thinking alike and all that."

Kassh scowled. "And how long is this peace going to last? Until you become a liability?"

Xizor nodded, looking truly dusappointed. "Unfortunately yes. But that is a possibility I am willing to accept, and I have planned for that eventuality."

Kassh shook his head in disbelief. "And while you grow fat on your profits, what is left for the rest of us? I am sure I speak for everyone present when I say that we will _not _follow behind you to squabble over what crumbs you leave behind!"

"An alliance with the Empire may not be such a bad idea," Sekha murmured to herself.

When Kassh whirled and glared at her, she raised a thin eyebrow and explained, "You claim that the Empire is pushing hard on our profits; this is true. But the Empire has proven to be much more tolerant of known illegal activities than the Republic before it. Our contacts report that the Emperor has no compuncions about using everything from low-level money launderers to Boba Fett himself. And look at Prince Xizor. He has not been executed, but is more wealthy than ever before. That alone should prove that the Empire is not about to push us _that _hard. All we must do is prove that we are _with_ them, not _against_ them."

Kassh growled and pointed at the Falleen prince. "This... this _schutta_ is manipulating you!"

He took a step towards Xizor, wanting very much to strike him. But he had no sooner taken a second step towards him then the Ubese bodyguards activated their force pikes. Xizor's female bodyguard, Guri, stepped forward and drove her fist into Kassh's solar plexus. He sputtered and fell to his knees, wheezing and gasping. Guri stepped back and planted her booted foot in Kassh's side and he went sprawling.

There were quiet snickers around the table at the sight of Kassh so humbled by a thin human female like Guri. Kassh glanced up with streaming eyes and saw that Jabba was smiling contentedly, most of the Nikto were whispering to each other again, and Sekha was staring at Xizor with curiosity.

Kassh narrowed his eyes. "You are a fool, Sekha. You all are fools!"

Jabba laughed deeply, his thunderous _ho ho ho_ echoing through the room. "And what do you plan to do about it? You already sponge credits off of us like the leech you truly are, Kassh. Your organization hasn't had a significant profit increase since you founded it. And here the rest of us sit, fat and rich while you 'squabble over what crumbs we leave behind.' If we ally ourselves with the Emperor, what can you do to dissuade us?"

Kassh stood there, fists clenched, shaking with rage. Then he silently turned and stormed out of the room, the door slamming behind him. The Rodian guard stepped forward to offer him his weapon, and Kassh punched him in his sucker-like mouth.

Xizor stared after Kassh, then turned back to the other residents of the room. They were staring at him expectantly; waiting for him to make the next move. He forced a calm smile onto his face.

"Kassh will sputter and argue as he always has," he said. "But hear me; the Empire is not a threat. Many of you may not enjoy the consequences, but I assure you, there is nothing to fear from the Emperor."

"And who says we are afraid?" Jabba rumbled, settling deeper into his cushioned chair with a content belch. "Kassh is the one who fears the Empire."

"Ah, yes," Xizor sighed. "Kassh... trust me, he will not be a problem for much longer."

"It is amazing how often you use the phrase 'trust me.'" Sekha laughed, a soft and delicate sound that Xizor found pleasing to the ear. He knew not to underestimate the Twi'lek, however. Her organization, Bloody Dawn, was one of the most feared organizations in the galaxy, and she had built it up from nothing. That showed a ruthlessness that he doubted even he posessed. "My only question is, _can _we trust you, Prince?"

"Give me a month," Xizor said. "If I do not have Kassh's head by then, you will have your answer."

Sekha rubbed her chin and said, "Kassh has no say over us. Killing him may be... how do you say... overkill?"

Xizor quietly agreed with her as he bowed respectfully and turned to leave the room, his bodyguards and the beautiful Guri at his side.

Kassh was just an oustpoken ronto in a large herd. There really was nothing he could do to influence the other organization leaders. But he _was_ still a potential threat, not only to Xizor's plans, but to the Emperor's as well. Therefore, he had to be eliminated.

And he knew just the being who could get the job done.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Interesting Intel

** Rame's farm, outside Keldabe, Mandalore**

Jay ducked a vicious swipe at her head and lunged forward, trying to ram her sword through her opponent's chest. He slammed her sword out of the way, the blades making a loud clang as they clashed together, and backpedaled, maing sure he was out of reach.

"You hesitated," Vhetin said, amusement in his voice.

"I did not." She jumped forward, slashing at his chest.

Vhetin brought his rectangular shield down on her blade, pinning it on the corral floor. He then stepped on it, keeping it held firmly in place.

"Never hesitate," Vhetin said. "If you do, you only give your opponent that much more of a hold over you."

Jay wrenched her sword out from under his boot and slammed her circular shield into the side of his helmet. It connected with a loud _clang_, and he staggered away, holding his head. After a moment, he shook his head to clear it. His T-visor gaze snapped back to her and a good-natured growl came over his vocoder.

She grinned. "Don't _talk_. If you do, you only give your opponent that much more time to think of how she'll hurt you next."

He laughed quietly and spun his sword in his hand, crouching behind his shield as he approached. As he unleashed another flurry of blows, Jay asked, "Why do we, uh-" she grunted as she had to shift her footing to counter his advance, "-have to fight with shields this time, anyway?"

"The usual reason; so that you learn to adapt to combat that is-" he blocked a blow to his helmet and pushed her back a few steps, "-outside your comfort zone. To keep you on your toes."

"It's been two months since that Stunball match and that's still the best excuse you can come up with?" she asked, lunging forward with her blade held at shoulder height. She almost fell as he tried to trip her, but she turned it into a graceful somersault, coming back to her feet in time to whip around and slash down at his back. He pivoted his arm, swinging his long rectangular shield behind him and knocking her sword away again.

"It's just that-" she paused, scowling with concentration as she deflected his next flurry of attacks, "-you've had formal training in all these types of combat. So it gives you a bit of an unfair advanta-"

She was cut off as he suddenly crouched, lashing out at her legs with his outstretched foot. She'd long since adapted to this move, however, and nimbly leaped over his feet. However, he used his momentum to bring him up into a half-spin. He jumped amazingly high into the air, still turning to face her, and landed both feet in the middle of her stomach in a powerful double-kick. Though she was protected by armor plating, the strength behind the blow winded her and sent her wildly off balance. She went crashing to the ground while he fell down as well. Gravity still applied, even in the sparring ring.

He hopped up onto his feet, stepping back and giving her time to catch her breath.

"That's not true," he said. "I've never fought with a shield before."

He was panting hard and she could see sweat running down his arms. Like her, he was wearing a scaled-down set of armor to compensate for the hot weather and the extra weight of the heavy durasteelbattle sheild. Unlike usual armor, these suits of armor had no sleeves and sported lighter dueling gauntlets for increased maneuverability. He stared at her through the menacing T-visor of his helmet.

"But-" she grunted and sat up onto her knees, holding her stomach. "But you're using that shield like a pro."

He rotated the shield in his hands, making the bulky piece of metal spin quickly in front of him. "Improvisation," he replied. "All of this is made up on the fly."

"Improvisation," she echoed skeptically, shaking a strand of sweaty hair out of her eyes as she stood straight again.

He nodded.

"Then improvise against _this_," she said, and leaped towards him again.

Tarron blasted down the road in his old speeder, heading for Rame Omotao's farm. He had to tell Vhetin of what he'd found before the lead got cold. He saw the grassgrain fields that surrounded the farm come into view around a small copse of trees and bushes and breathed a sigh of relief.

As he drew closer, he could see the clash of swords in the corral behind the house. As he skidded to a halt in front of the house, he saw that Vhetin was in the training corral, sparring with a young woman.

Odd. Brianna was in Keldabe; he'd spoken to her before heading to the farm. This other woman must be Vhetin's student, the one that had won the Stunball match two months before.

He decided to check it out.

Jay jumped back as Vhetin slashed at her stomach. She brought her circular shield in front of her, using it like a barrier as she planted a foot on the bottom rung of the fence and launched herself into the air with a shout.

Vhetin had anticipated her move, however; she'd been drifting toward the fence for the entire duel. He could tell she had been dying to try this move on him. He decided to humor her and did not bring his shield up to counter her attack. Instead, he just stepped back and waited for her to launch the inevitable air kick.

However, the kick missed. Instead, her ankle caught on his armored shoulder, sending her flying off-course with a shout of surprise. She landed heavily on her back, her shield bouncing out of her grip. The circular battle shield bounced and rolled to the edge of the corral, hit the fence, then fell over.

After a moment, Vhetin knelt next to her and said, "I take it that did _not_ go as planned?"

She groaned and pulled off her sparring helmet. "Shut up and help me up, Vhetin."

He grinned beneath his helmet and offered her a hand. She took it and he hauled her to her feet. She wobbled a bit, then regained her balance.

She sighed and said, "Damn... that attack worked out so well when I was thinking it up, _and_ when I was practicing."

As he picked up her fallen shield and handed it back to her, he said, "In your defense, if that move _had _worked, it would have kicked ass."

"Just trying to compensate for the fact that you seem to be some kind of supersoldier. How can you jump that high from a dead stop, anyway?" She narrowed her eyes. "You are a supersoldier, aren't you?"

"Nope," he shook his head. "You'll have to keep guessing."

He heard a deep laugh from the edge of the corral and turned towards the sound.

A man was leaning up against the corral fence. He had long brown hair and a short beard. He was wearing dark brown body armor, similar to Mando armor, but definitely not of Mandalorian make. Brown was a symbol of office on Mandalore, like the _kyr'bes_. No Mando in his right mind would chose brown as an armor color unless was the _Mand'alor_; it was a sign of respect.

No, this man had a single-sheet chest plate made of durasteel, unlike the segmented armor plates of _beskar'gam_, as well as powered mechanical arm guards that stretched from shoulder to wrist, and a deep red sash across his belt.

A Journeyman Protector.

Vhetin nodded respectfully to him and the man laughed again, that same deep laugh. He ducked into the sparring corral and approached them, spreading his hands and saying, "Your reputation for generosity and hostpitality is fast becoming the stuff of legend, Cin Vhetin. I've heard that on Nar Shadda, those running from Imperial law have plans to seek you out directly for sanctuary."

He clasped Vhetin's forearm in a Mandalorian handshake. Vhetin raised an eyebrow, even though the other man couldn't see it, and said, "Really. And why do you say that?"

"Well, it's hardly befitting a bounty hunter." The man gestured to Jay. "You've brought home another one, haven't you?"

Vhetin shrugged. "What can I say? I can't help rescuing people in need."

He motioned for Jay to come closer. "Jay, I'd like you to meet Tarron Matele, a Concord Dawn Journeyman Protector and freelance bodyguard and an old acquaintence of mine. Tarron, this is Jay Kolta, my student."

Jay smiled and shook his hand, saying, "It's nice to meet you."

Vhetin leaned against the fence and folded his arms across his chest. "So what brings you all the way from Hapes? Did the Queen Mother get tired of your company already?"

Tarron's grin didn't fade. "She's a wonderful woman. But as a freelance bodyguard, and a _hired _one at that, I grew a little tired of... female condescension, shall we say?"

Hapes was a planet where the government was controlled by women while the men were a subordinate class. Vhetin had always found the female citizens of the planet almost downright hostile towards him, so while he occasionally accepted the odd job for the Queen Mother, he usually steered clear of the entire sector.

"So what brings you to Mandalore?" Jay asked, leaning on her shield.

Tarron's seemingly unstoppable grin finally faded. He suddenly looked very old and haggard. "Vhetin," he said quietly. "... we need to talk."

"Sure," Vhetin said, taking a step forward. "What about?"

Tarron glanced around himself self-consciously, then said softly, "Can we step inside?"

"Sure. Rame and Mia are down on the other side of the planet for the day while Jay and I look after the farm. I'm sure they won't mind."

As they walked towards the small house, Tarron stared at his armored boots. "Vhetin... I'm not usually one to give advice." He let out a long breath and said, "Hell, I usually just take my finder's fee and move on. But... just once, I'm going to give you my counsel."

_What is all this about? _Vhetin wondered. _I haven't seen Tarron this worried since..._

Then the pieces suddenly clicked into place. _Since the last Kassh contract, _he thought.

He held the door open for Tarron and Jay, then said, "All right, we're inside. Now what's got you so worried?"

"You don't already know?" Tarron said, worry apparent in his voice as he sat down at the table in the kitchen.

Jay looked between the two in confusion as she sat as well, obviously unable to control her curiosity. "What are you two talking about? What's wrong?"

Vhetin sighed in realization as Tarron said, "The Kassh contract has come around again."

Jay was glancing between the two, still uncomprehending. Vhetin, meanwhile, had a thousand thoughts going through his head.

_What's Kassh done this time? Where is he hiding now? What kinds of weapons will I need? Is Jay ready for her first real mission?_

Tarron glanced up at him. "My advice is for you to leave this alone. They haven't asked for you specifically. You've brought him in enough times an dgotten paid bloody well for it."

"Who is Kassh?" Jay demanded, finally beginning to sound frustrated. "What are you talking about?"

Vhetin sat down and rested his arms on the table. "Kassh has to be the closest to a mortal nemesis that I have. I've chased and hunted that _di'kut_ so many times that I've lost track of how many planets I've been to looking for him."

"Why is there anoter contract for him?" Jay asked. "If you've hunted him so many times, shouldn't he be locked up by now?"

Tarron sighed and clasped his hands on the tabletop.

"He keeps escaping," he said. "He's too smart for the dumb guards his captors keep throwing on him. Vhetin's brought him in four times already."

"Kassh..." Jay said thoughtfully. "That name sounds familiar all of a sudden..."

"Does the name Midnight Ultraviolet ring a bell? MUV?" Vhetin asked. He waited for her to put the pieces together. Even though frustration and anger were dominating his mind, there was still a learning experience here for her.

"Midnight Ultraviolet..." Jay's eyes lit up with understanding. "Wait, I do know that name. That's that Coruscan't crime ring; I remember seeing reports of the CSF trying to weed their drug rings out during the Clone Wars. They were Separatist sympathizers or something of that nature."

Tarron nodded. "Good job. But that's just the tip of the floatberg."

"You see," Vhetin said, turning to face her, "at the beginning of the Clone Wars, Jabba the Hutt was still solidifying his criminal 'empire' as it were. He had a trusted enforcer, a Twi'lek named Kassh Gorran, who got a little too big for his space boots."

Tarron picked up the story. "He tried to double-cross Jabba and hired an assassin to take the slug down. Jabba's security found the assassin and it was leaked that Kassh was moving in on Jabba."

"Kassh was banished from Jabba's territory and chased out of the entire sector," Vhetin explained. "But not before Kassh got his hands on some sixteen million of Jabba's hard-earned credits."

Tarron snorted. "I wouldn't call it hard-earned, but I agree with the rest."

"Jabba put a bounty of ten thousand credits on Kassh's head as payback," Vhetin said, "but no one was wily enough to get him. For almost twenty years, this guy's been on the run, in and out of custody. And every time he comes back, that bounty gets bigger and bigger."

"Until now, when it's running at about a hundred thousand credits." Tarron finished.

"Why hasn't someone like Boba Fett gone after him, if the bounty is that big?"

"Fett doesn't do revenge bounties," Vhetin said, "and he was the best chance of bringing the guy in."

"So, naturally," Tarron said with the hint of his earlier grin, "they turned to Vhetin to get the job done."

Jay frowned thoughtfully and turned back to Vhetin. "How long have you been hunting this guy?"

"Four years," he replied with an exasperated sigh, "and counting."

"Well, my contacts say that Kassh is on Coruscant, in the underworld of the entertainment district, and he's got a score to settle with Prince Xizor," Tarron said.

"And Xizor posted this bounty?"

The Journeyman Protector nodded. "On behalf of Jabba the Hutt of course."

"Of course..." Vhetin muttered thoughfully. After a moment, he clapped his hands together and stood. "Jay, pack your things. We're heading out."

Jay started. "What?"

Vhetin jerked his head towards Tarron. "You heard the man; there's a hundred thousand credits out there waiting to be claimed. And I think we're just the ones to get the job done."

Jay stared at him for a moment, then shrugged, stood, and disappeared into another room to gather her small amount of belongings.

"I warned you to leave this alone," Tarron said, looking up at him.. "If you go out there, you'll have to face down Kassh's entire gang. Even with two bounty hunters, it's impossible."

"I've brought him in before," Vhetin pointed out. "And I was alone all those times. Now I have Jay to watch my back. I'll be fine."

"Kassh knows your technique," Tarron said quietly. "He won't fall for your previous tricks. He's smarter now, and more her's deadlier than ever."

Vhetin nodded and said, "Well he's yet to find out about Jay. So I say we have a better-than-none chance at claiming that bounty."

Jay shook her head as she entered the room, holstering the pistol she'd won at the Stunball match. "I'm still a rookie, remember? I've never even gone on an actual mission before. I hope you aren't pinning all your hopes on me like you did in that Stunball match."

"You'll do fine," Vhetin reassured her. "Just as long as you remember your training."

She folded her arms. "So... who'll watch after the farm while we're gone? This lead won't last forever."

Tarron sighed. "I'll watch after the farm until Rame and Mia get back. I'll tell them where you're headed."

He stood and held out a hand. "Good luck, Vhetin. You'll need it."

Vhetin stared at his hand, then shook it slowly.

"Thanks," he said. "But I don't need luck."

A half-hour later, they were blasting their way out of the planet's atmosphere, the ship shaking as the space outside the cockpit glowed red-hot. The shields flared to protect the ship, blurring the scene of black space outside. Jay tightened her hold on the copilot's seat; she'd always hated ground-to-space takeoffs, even when she'd been in the Navy. One of the first safety films she'd seen while training was a mini-documentary on how many things could go wrong while the ship passed through planetary atmospheres. The different explosions shown in the film still haunted her to this day.

She let out a sigh of relief as the space outside _Void_ dulled and she finally saw the stars. Seeing as it was the weekend, the usual mess of ships flying to and from the planet was subdued, sluggish. No one really wanted to go anywhere, and there was much work to get done at home.

Be that as it may, the Imperial Star Destroyer _Triumphant_ was still orbiting the planet, posted to Mandalore for a month more till the end of their assignment. Vhetin sighed as they passed by the huge capital ship and said, "One second; I have to sign in with the Imps."

He hit the blue intercom button and said, "_Triumphant_ Space Command, this is freelance transport _Void_, requesting hyperspace clearance, sector G-eight-nine-nine-four."

"Roger, _Void._" the Space Command officer was in charge of incoming and outgoing ships as long as the _Triumphant _was in orbit. As a result, he'd gotten something of a big head. _Ori'buyce, kih'kovid,_as a Mandalorian would say. _All helmet, no head._

"What is the nature of your current departure from the Mandalore sector, _Void_?"

Vhetin came back with his usual response. "Personnel requisition."

"Roger, _Void_." There was a pause over the comm, then the Space Command officer said, "Scans are showing two life forms onboard. Who is your copilot?"

Jay's heart almost stopped, her mind instantly filled with images of stormtroopers storming the ship and taking her back to prison and a quick execution.

But Vhetin quickly replied, "No copilot. Just an old Strill to keep track of. You wouldn't believe the smell."

"Hm," the officer said quietly, thoughtfully. Jay looked over at Vhetin and mouthed, _Strill_?

After a long moment, the officer came back with the message, "_Void_, you are cleared for hyperspace travel. Proceed to escort point Bravo-Echo-nineteen, and make the jump. Any deviation-"

"-and we will be fired upon, yeah, yeah, I get it," Vhetin interrupted. He signed off the comm and took the controls as two TIE fighters swooped in to escort them.

"Karking babysitters," Vhetin muttered under his breath.

Jay was still staring at him, eyebrows raised. "_Strill_?" she repeated.

He glanced over at her, then turned back to the controls with a dry chuckle. "My other idea was telling them I had a Twi'lek passenger. But if I'd said there was a Twi'lek onboard, the stormies would sure as hell board us to get a look at her."

"A _strill_?"

"Look, they left us alone, so my little trick worked. A few more months and you won't have to worry about them and I won't have to make up stupid excuses on your behalf. Just keep your head down so the pilots don't see you and prepare for lightspeed."

The TIE fighters roared past them as they reached the jump point. Vhetin gave the navicomputer control of the ship and _Void_ rotated to match up with the computer's coordinates. Then Vhetin pulled back a lever and the stars blurred to streaks, then with a detonation of silent white light, morphed into the whirling tunnel of hyperspace.

**Kassh's hideout, Imperial City (formerly Coruscant), later that day**

Kassh was pacing back and forth through the crowded, dirty supply room that served as his personal quarters while he was staying on Coruscant. The room was filled with sealed durasteel crates carrying all manner of stolen illicit materials; weapons, engspice, stolen Alderaanian artwork, engineering material, and countless other trinkets. An akk hound was sniffing around the crates, searching for items of interest. It shuffled its trunk-like probiscus along the edge of a crate, then looked up at Kassh and barked, a retching _akk akk_ sound that made him grimace.

Kassh's brother, Killkillik – whom Kassh just called Killk- looked up with wild eyes and whispered, "Huh? Akkie smell something?"

Kassh inspected the crate the hound had found so interesting and found something _very _interesting indeed resting within the durasteel box.

There was only one object in the large crate, but it was so important that Kassh would have bought fifty empty boxes if he only knew this one was among them.

Laying coated in flexifoam was a long, black cylinder. Killk scurried over and peered inside, clasping the edge of the crate with his mechanical hands, his nose and lekku twitching simultaneously as he said, "What that? Akkie interested in stupid glowlight?"

Kassh shoved his neurotic brother away. "This isn't a glowlight you idiot."

Killk sniffed. "Looks like a glowlight."

"No," Kassh said quietly as he lifted the device out of the flexfoam with trembling fingers. "It's a lightsaber."

"Lightsaber? That don't work like glowlight."

Kassh sighed and set aside the lightsaber, flexing his hand. _Oh the scum I must put up with these days..._

Killk sighed, flung himself down on one of the cots in the corner and put his mechanical arms behind his head. "Stupid glowlight. If we had one, we be able to actually see in here. What use is lightsaber?"

Kassh whirled, igniting the saber's green blade, and flung it at his brother. The blade hit the wall only inches from his head, sizzling and melting the duracrete before the weapon's fail-safe shut the blade down.

Killk scrambled away from the deactivated blade and fell onto the floor with a grunt. His eyes were as wide as training remotes as he sputtered, "Light... Light... Glowlight _dangerous_."

Kassh felt a smile play across his lips. "Yes... yes, glowlight _very dangerous._"

He retrieved the weapon and hooked it on his belt. "This isn't for the black market. This is going to stay with me."

Killk examined his durasteel fingertips. "Gotta pay for it."

Kassh debated whether or not to throw the blade at him again and _not _miss this time. But that would draw unwanted complications to his plans for Xizor. The last thing he needed was a dead body gumming up the works, even if it was someone as worthless as his brother.

So he kept his hand away from the weapon and silently walked for the door. The akk hound was curled up near the door, snoring loudly. Kassh kicked it on his way out.

No sooner had he exited the door than his Gen'dai enforcer, Durge, lumbered into his path, blocking the entire twelve-foot door. His dirty and burned armor, specifically designed to support his massive frame, sported more weapons than any mercenary could hope to carry, as well as a few that even Kassh had never seen before. His armored helmet and full-face breath mask made his voice echo and give a slightly metallic tinge to the sound.

"Sir," Durge boomed, clenching a huge armored fist, "rumors have surfaced that Prince Xizor has posted a bounty on your head. A rather _large_ bounty."

Kassh nodded, unsurprised, and slipped around the huge bounty hunter. "As expected. Xizor believes me a threat."

Durge turned around with three huge footsteps. "Other reports say that the bounty has already been taken up by Cin Vhetin. A _Mandalorian._"

That made Kassh pause. "Vhetin? How does he know so quickly?"

With a creaking shrug, Durge growled, "Who cares? But Imperial Hyperspace Transit records state that he left Mandalore this morning, headed for Coruscant. He _knows_."

Kassh stroked his chin and walked out of the room. With huge pounding footsteps, Durge followed. His dirty silver-purple armor glinted in the darkness, making him look every bit the monster he truly was. The eye-slits in his helmet glowed red as he growled, "I could take care of him. I could shoot down his ship before he could ever get close to finding this place."

Kassh shook his head. "It's too public. The only way I can win over the hearts of the other crime lords is by convincing them that Xizor is the true threat, not me."

Durge growled in frustration and said, "Then what? Let him track you down?"

Kassh shook his head. The stump of his severed lekku slapped against the back of his neck. "No. I will leave the planet and retreat to our base on Tatooine."

"Run away?" Durge sounded incredulous. "From a _Mandalorian?_ That will only cause more harm than good."

"I will _leave_," Kassh repeated forcefully. Sometimes it was best to deal with his hired help as if they had a debilitating brain injury. "Vhetin is too clever; he will find this place. But when he does, you will be here to stop him. _Permanently._"

"Nothing would please me more," Durge rumbled. "But if we strike now, if we wipe his filthy existance from the galaxy..."

"_That_ is what could only cause more harm than good," Kassh snapped. "If the other crime lords believe me to be afraid of a single bounty hunter, even one with whom I have such a long and... colorful history... They will immediately know that I can be intimidated, and therefore, I _cannot_ be trusted."

He turned to the bounty hunter and folded his arms across his chest.

"You will wait here," he said, "and you will _stay_ here until Vhetin discovers this place. Then I want you to kill him. Slowly. Painfully. I want you to make absolutely sure that he will _never_ scourge our plans again. I want him to cry for mercy, scream for the mother that brought him squealing into this galaxy, and then I want you to crush his skull against the bottom of your boots."

The hulking bounty hunter stared at him for a moment, then began to let out a series of deep rumbling chuckles. His huge blaster cannon folded out of his arm and he held it up to his mask, examining the huge weapon.

"My pleasure," he growled.

Kassh sighed and indulged himself in a small grin. "By the time Vhetin makes it here, I'll be long gone."

Durge nodded, momentarily satisfied, and Kassh strode into the next room, leaving him behind. Durge stared after him for a moment, then stomped off towards another area of the large base.

In all actuality, Kassh wasn't going to flee like a coward to Tatooine. But if Durge thought he would, it would only make the Gen'dai's part that much more convincing.

In truth, Kassh was going to stay right here on Coruscant, albiet not in his secret hideout. No, he would stay to ensure that Durge actually finished the job once and for all. And failing that...

Kassh's grin faded, replaced by a slight hint of frustration.

_You can't rely on anyone these days_, he thought to himself. _If you want to get a job done right, you have to do it yourself._

And that was exactly what Kassh had in mind. Vhetin would galavant across Coruscant, hoping to track him down. Little would he know that he would be walking straight into his prey's trap.

_The hunter becoming the hunted_, Kassh thought. _Poetic justice indeed._

**Freelance Transport **_**Void**_**, exact coordinates unknown, hyperspace tunnel en route to Coruscant**

"What do you mean 'by the time we get there he'll be long gone?'" Jay asked. "Why are we even going to Coruscant, then?"

Vhetin tapped a series of buttons to put the sublight drives into stasis mode. "I mean that Kassh will know we're coming before we even reach the planet. He has too many contacts."

"So what're we going to do? If he's already left-"

"We're going to do the same thing as if he was still there," Vhetin said quietly. "We're going to gather information. But instead of asking where he _is_, we're going to find someone who knows where he _went_."

"And if he stays on Coruscant just to slip you up?"

Vhetin chuckled. "I think you're overestimating the criminal mind, even one as slippery as Kassh. Trust me, he think's he's a step ahead, which works right to our advantage."

"So we're just going to try and find where he was staying on Coruscant and then track down what planet he disappeared to? In a galaxy this big, that's a pretty big list."

He nodded. "I never said bounty hunting was quick or easy."

Jay folded her arms and sat back in the copilot's seat, staring absently at the control panel. She tried again to force down the nervousness that rose in her gut at the thought that she was actually hunting down her first bounty. What if she screwed up? What if she was _shot_? Maybe she would have the chance to catch this Kassh character and she would _lose_ him.

She shook her head to clear it. If there was anything she remembered from her past training with Vhetin, it was that distraction equals death. If she had her mind on whether or not she would catch the bounty, she would overlook critical clues that might keep her alive. She had to be on the top of her game, physically and mentally.

Vhetin transferred the ship's controls to the navicomputer and sat back, putting his hands behind his helmeted head. Jay looked over at him and said, "You seem pretty calm. Why?"

He shrugged. "There's no reason to be worried. Not yet."

Jay felt another spike of adrenaline shoot through her as she thought about hunting Kassh. "Then you're the only one with that mindset."

He shrugged again. "This is pretty simple as far as bounty missions go; find the guy, capture the guy, deliver the guy to another guy."

"It may look easy from where you're sitting-"

"I never said _easy_," Vhetin interrupted, looking over at her. "When we get down on the ground, I'll be just as tense as you are. But right now it does me no good. So I don't bother with it."

"You just... don't pay attention to it?"

He nodded. "Eventually it gets to where if you don't _want_ to feel it, you just don't."

Jay sat back in her seat, running a hand through her hair absently as she thought over that. Choosing not to feel emotion? That would explain Vhetin's continuous ice-cold attitude. In his line of work, the ability to throw away human emotion was probably very helpful. But in her opinion, it was also dangerous. Sure, it would help in times like this, when her nervousness was eating away at her, but what about after that? It would become an obsession, until...

Until you felt absolutely nothing at all.

She glanced over at Vhetin again, cautiously. This was a side of her friend and mentor that she didn't really wish to see. Could it be possible that he felt nothing at all? Was that why he'd been able to shoot her at point-blank range without batting an eyelid during that first sparring match?

She shook her head to clear it. Now was not the time to be wondering over things like that. She had to stay focused, keep her head, or else.

She stood and left the cockpit, heading back toward the sleeping quarters where she could have a quiet place to think. She wished that she'd had a little more time to train before she'd been thrown into all this.

_But_, she thought to herself, _then again, it's just working outside your comfort zone._

_ Again._

She sighed and sat down on the edge of a cot, pulling her pistol from its holster and staring at it. So Vhetin thought he had Kassh all figured out, huh? She didn't quite agree with him. If this guy was as slippery and clever as Vhetin himself had said, he wouldn't try anything that might even come close to what vhetin thought he would do. Her hunch was that he would leave the planet, but only upon confirmation that they were getting close to finding him. Which meant that she had two options:

One, she could try to convince Vhetin of her idea and get him to find Kassh quickly, before he had a chance to get away. It was unlikely that a seasoned bounty hunter would listen to her, a mere rookie who'd never even experienced true bounty hunting, but it was worth a shot.

Or two, go along with Vhetin's plan and see what would happen. That way, if Kassh really _had _gone, she wouldn't make a complete fool out of herself trying to act like the big bad bounty hunter. If anything, Vheitn may be right about Kassh, and she could do her part by simply listening to him. He was more experienced in almost every matter concerning bounty hunting, after all

She thought over those options. The first one seemed to be the best plan of action,but it was also risky; she couldn't be sure of what Kassh was doing, and if she was wrong, she'd not only look like a fool but also lose the bounty. Not a very good start to her new career. But the second option was just as risky for the exact opposite reason. If Kassh _didn't_ run, and Vhetin continued thinking he had, then the bounty could just hide out on Coruscant while they went searching around the galaxy for him in a wild bantha chase. Again, not a good start to her career.

She sighed and shook her head. Neither negative outcome looked appealing, but what could she do? It was a 50-50 shot that Kassh would escape. So what would she do?

She leaned back on the cot and thought, _I'll just go along with Vhetin's plan for right now, then I'll see. Maybe with a little more information, I'll know what to do._

She felt the ship around her decelerate rapidly, and she glanced around her. Were they there already? She stood and headed for the door.

The entrance door slid open before she got there. Vhetin stood in the doorway.

"I need you up in the cockpit," he said. "We've got a hit."

"What?"

He gestured for her to follow. "I just now got a message from one of my contacts on Coruscant. He sent me a location where someone sighted Kassh just a few days ago. We're heading there as we speak."

Jay nodded, taking a deep, calming breath.

_And so the hunt begins_, she thought.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Investigating

**Underworld Cantina, Imperial City (formerly Coruscant)**

Vhetin surveyed the shabby outside of the Underworld Cantina and hooked his thumbs into his belt. He let out a sigh and said, "I should have known. Twice I've caught Kassh skulking around in here. I think he's attracted to the strobe lights."

As they entered the small tunnel that lead into the cantina, however, Vhetin stopped and said quietly, "Watch your back in here. It can get a little rough."

Jay nodded silently and casually placed a hand on her pistol, making sure it was well within view of any who might want to mess with her.

The door slid open, revealing a dark bar lit intermittently with strobe lights and a stage where several performers – human and otherwise – were playing eerie, otherworldly music.

Vhetin melted into the crowd, drifting towards the back of the cantina. Jay walked slowly along the outskirts of the stage, barely able to hear herself think over the strange music.

All of a sudden, the music exploded into a loud Strap beat and a voice screamed out of nowhere, punctuated by an Electric Flixer. Jay jumped and screamed slightly in surprise, but her voice was lost in the loud music. A Dug bounced past her on his leg/hands, hopped up onto the stage, and began screaming into the amplicoder. She could barely even hear his voice over the deafening music.

She stopped herself from covering her ears. She was sure that disrespecting the local band was one of the quickest ways to offend the patrons and get her in _very_ serious trouble.

_And Vhetin actually _likes _this kind of music?_

She shook her head to clear it and begant to slowly make her way through the crowd, keeping her eyes peeled for potential trouble. She instantly began seeing beings of all shapes, sizes colors, and ages. She backed away from a quivering mass of hair, eyes, and teeth that elicited a low growl as she approached. A fat Bith sitting at the bar stared at her with his large black eyes, then turned to his budde and whispered something, pointing at her. Jay noticed the Bith was carrying a large-dangerous looking sword on his hip, so she turned and walked the other way, towards the booths along the western wall.

A shirtless Zabrak with strange gray tattoos covering his entire face and chest was sipping quietly from a mug, froth running down his chin. His skin was a dusty yellow and his cranial horns had been sharpened to jagged points. His eyes gleamed in the darkness, and as the strobe lights flashed Jay saw they were both artificial, glowing red and blue in the darkness. He seemed to feel her stare and turned his gaze on her, raising an eyebrow. Jay walked past, not reacting to his not-too-friendly stare.

Sitting in the booth behind him was a beautiful red-skinned Zeltron female, apparently trying to put the moves on a human spacer. From what Jay saw, the Zeltron's charms were working; the spacer, looking a little wobbly, even while seated, ordered another round of drinks from the serving droid and slid a stack of credits to his red-skinned companion.

Vhetin appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, touched her arm, and said, "Come on. The bartender has something for us."

As they passed by another booth on their way to the bar, Jay scowled as some of the bar's more inebriated patrons began whistling and calling rowdily to her. She tightened her grip on her pistol.

"Can I shoot just one of them?" she asked with gritted teeth.

Vhetin shook his head. "No. Leave them to be mugged by feminist gangs. That'll teach them. Come on."

They slipped through the crowd toward the bar, where a four-armed basilisk bartender was serving three different customers at once.

"Kexio!" Vheitn called. "Kex!"

The tender glanced up, his gullet pouch expanding as he growled, "Eh? What, whaddaya want?"

Vhetin took a seat at the bar, Jay standing back from him. She didn't want to get too comfortble. She wanted to be alert, to keep on guard. She couldn't help but feel like they were in danger already, like she was being watched.

Vhetin leaned closer to the alien bartender in order to be heard over the loud music. "You sent me a message that you had some info on Kassh," he said.

Kexio grumbled, a low rumbling noise from deep in his throat. "Might. Who wants to know?"

Vhetin discreetly slid a fifty-credit chip across the bar. He wasn't discreet enough for Jay to miss it, however.

"An old friend of mine," the bounty hunter said quietly.

One of Kexio's hands, this one wiping down the bartop with an old rag, slid over the credit, and the chip disappeared. After a moment, the tender grunted and said, "Alright. What do you wanna know?"

"Kassh. When was he here last?" Vhetin asked.

"Two days ago He came in and barged in on a meetin'. No invitation, nothin'. Just walked right in like he owned the place."

"What meeting?" Vhetin inquired.

Kexio glanced around himself, then lowered his voice. "Big meetin'."

"Who was there? I need names, Kex."

Kexio looked around himsef again, as if worried someone was listening in. But most of the bar's patrons were too fixated by the scantily-clade Twi'lek dancers that were moving across the band stage. The basilisk turned back to Vhetin and said quietly, "Viiro. Yuri. Kallop. Sekha. Mintashi. Rotta. Jabba. Kammna. And Xizor showed up at the end."

Vhetin nodded thoughtfully. "And when Kassh left, did you se where he went? Did you get a speeder registration number or anything?"

Kexio shook his large, knobby head. "Nuh-uh. Sorry, Vhetin, but I can't help ya there."

Vhetin nodded, thanked the bartender, then flipped him ten more credits. As he turned away from the bar, he cursed quietly. Jay stepped after him as he headed for the door and asked, "What's wrong?"

"That meeting Kexio was talking about was between the leaders of the largest criminal organizations and gangs in the galaxy," he said. "I'm surprised; there were even some major bigwigs like Sekha and Jabba the Hutt. And with Xizor there... well, that places our employer at the scene with the bounty and that's never good."

"So what? What does that mean?"

"It means something big is going down very soon. It's my guess that Kassh plans to screw it up. And when he makes his move, we'll be there to stop him."

"But first we need to find out exactly what's going on," Jay said.

"Got it in one," Vhetin said, swerving to avoid a hulking Gammorean. "One of the members of this meeting – a Twi'lek named Sekha – is based here, out of Coruscant. We'd do well to investigate and see if we can't find out what these organizations are planning."

"Are you sure we can safely do that? Investigate such a large criminal organization?"

"I can pull a few strings to land us an audience with Sekha herself. We go back a long way."

"What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "A long time ago, back when... well, back before I was a freelance bounty hunter, I was told to investigate a narcotics smuggling ring based out of Munnilist. When I finally tracked down the ringleader-"

Jay only partially paid attention. Most of her thought was drawn to the four black-clothed humans who had just exited the backstage door. They were sporting large vibroswords and blasters. They saw her and Vhetin and began talking among one another, pointing at them.

_Mercenaries_, she thought. _Hitmen._

"In the meantime," she interrupted, "it looks like we have company."

"Uh-oh," Vhetin muttered. He glanced at her, then nodded to the pistol on her hip. "You've been practicing?"

"Every day," she said, unclipping the safety strap that kept the gun in its holster.

He nodded again. "Good."

The mercenaries began walking forward and she and Vhetin approached the door to the outside. As they stepped in front of it, Jay hung back, hoping to get a better angle with her weapon in case things got out of hand. Vhetin, however, just strode up to them and folded his arms across his chest. "Can I help you, fellas?"

One of the humans, a true giant of a man with a nasty-looking scar across his forehead, glared at Vhetin with a single functional eye and growled, "You been askin' a lot 'o questions around here. You're nosy, bucket-head. And nosy outsiders don't last long in d'Underworld. So we're thinkin' about rippin' your nose off. That''ll teach ya."

Vhetin sighed quietly and said, "Are you sure you want to do this? You might be taking on more than you can handle.

The man grunted out a laugh and gestured behind him. "Eight of us against one mando and a little girl? I think our odds are just fine."

Jay's heart was pounding now. _There must be four more outside, then_, she thought to herself, tightening her grip on the butt of her pistol.

Vhetin shifted his arms slightly, looking only mildly tense. But Jay saw his fingers close around the staff hooked to the side of his jetpack. She tensed; whatever was about to happen would happen in seconds. All it would take to light the fuse was a single spark.

"Last warning," Vhetin said, his voice barely audible over the band's deafening music. "Back off or get hurt."

The huge man laughed and shoved Vhetin in the chest. Before Jay could blink, she heard a loud, sizzling _snap-hiss_, and the man suddenly had no hands. What remained were red-hot cauterized stumps where his hands should have been.

The severed limbs fell to the floor with quiet _thud_s, still twitching. Jay stared at them, shocked. She had blinked and missed Vhetin's first attack.

The Mandalorian spun his ignited weapon swiftly and slammed the blunt end of the lightsaber pike into the man's chest, sending him sprawling baack, crashing through the door. The pike spun blindingly fast through Vhetin's hands again, then was suddenly still as he straightened, the dark blue blade of the weapon pointing toward the ground.

Everyone in the bar froze, staring at the ignited lightsaber staff with a mixture of horror and awe. There was silence except for the electronic hum of the lightsaber's blade. Then one of the human mercenaries let out a shout and jumped forward.

The entire bar erupted into pandemonium. Jay drew her pistol and shot the man in the gut before he could take two steps toward Vhetin. The man doubled over with a shout while Vhetin spun his staff deftly between his hands and tripped him with the _beskar_ shaft of the weapon. Bar patrons went running everywhere, some screaming, others just hunkering down where they sat and putting their hands over their heads. The band seemed to decide to make the most of the situation and went right back to playing their deafeningly loud music.

Vhetin planted a foot on a chair and kicked it towards his opponent. The man batted it away, only in time to see Vhetin leap toward him. The bounty hunter's blade sunk into the man's chest and the mercenary crumpled slightly.

Jay turned and squeezed off a shot at a mercenary that charged at her with a drawn and activated vibrosword held high. She pumped three bolts into the man's stomach, but he didn't even slow; he just staggered toward her, vibroblade held high. When he was too close for comfort, her mind reverted back to her military training in hand-to-hand combat. She ceased her fire and pistol-whipped him across the forehead, then kneed him in the solar plexus and slammed her elbow hard into his forehead.

_That got him_.

The man's eyes rolled back in his head and he crumpled to the ground, unconscious or dead. Jay didn't really care which.

She looked up and saw that Vhetin had already taken the fight outside. She dashed through the open door, picking her way around the unconscious, handless merc that had started this whole mess, and saw Vhetin fending off two mercs at once. Both mercenaries were using vibrosword weapons that seemed to deflect Vhetin's lightsaber blade. The other two remaining mercs were cheering their comrades on. Jay watched with wonder as Vhetin fought, momentarily too stunned to move.

She now realized all of Vhetin's skill in the sparring ring had only been a percentage of his true abilities. He had truly been holding back.

His dark blue lightsaber blade was flashing through the air, painting the darkness around him with neon light. He spun and jumped, rolling the staff behind his back to knock an opponent's sword aside without even looking at the merc. He elbowed the man in the face before bringing his weapon to bear on the other. The man yelled and tried to slash at him, but Vhetin jumped back, slamming the shaft of his pike into the other merc's stomach, again without even looking. The man crumped with a grunt and Vhetin spun, slamming the end of his weapon into the man's skull and knocking him unconscious.

The other merc was still advancing, though, and several of his brutally powerful blows managed to penetrate Vhetin's guard. She saw him wince slightly as the vibrosword scored a long bloody slash down his right arm. Before the merc could press his advantage, however, Vhetin leaped forward with another of his unbelievingly high jumps and planted both his boot heels in the man's face while in mid-air. The man staggered away as Vhetin landed and grasped his weapon by its base, swinging it through the air like a long, thin club. The lightsaber blade at the end of the staff decapitated the man cleanly, and his head bounced across the duracrete courtyard. Vhetin let go of his weapon, only to skillfully catch it near the blade emitter. He swung it down so the _beskar_ shaft hit against his right shoulder blade, the saber pointed toward the ground in an open combat position.

The entire fight had lasted less than forty seconds.

The other two men stared at Vhetin, looking as shocked as Jay felt, then simply turned and ran as fast as they could. They sprinted for two large transport speeders parked near the edge of the large dropoff shaft that led deeper into Coruscant's underworld.

Jay started, shaking off her shock. Once the two mercs reached those speeders, they'd be gone for good. She jumped into action and moved to chase after them, bringing her pistol to bear, but Vhetin held out a hand and stopped her.

"Let them go," he said, panting. His voice sounded very tired. "They can't do any more harm to us."

"But-"

"Let them _go_," he said more forcefully, and watched as the two mercs piled into one of the speeders. "Sometimes mercy can be a more powerful weapon than any blaster."

The Mandalorian sighed and deactivated his lightsaber pike, hooking it back against his jetpack with trembling fingers. Jay stared at his shaking hand, then said, "You're hurt."

"I'll be fine," he said curtly.

Jay examined the cut on his arm closer, touching the torn fabric of his flight suit. "No you won't," she said. "That cut went down to the muscle tissuie. You'll need stitches, at the very least."

He pulled his arm away. "I'll be _fine_," he repeaded. "And since when did you become the resident med-tech?"

She flinched away from him, hurt by his angry tone. He stared at her for a few moments through the expressionless faceplate of his battle helmet, then sighed. His shoulders slumped and he said, "Look... I'm sorry, all right? But you don't need to worry about me. I'll be fine."

"If you say so," she said quietly.

He sighed again and said, "Let's just get back to _Void_. We can get a good night's sleep and get back at it first thing tomorrow morning."

She nodded slowly and holstered her blaster as Vhetin headed off to hail an air taxi that would take them back to the spaceport.

She stared down at the decapitated mercenary, trying to fight down a sudden wave of nausea.

_Is this all that bounty hunting is?_ She thought to herself. _Constant, unending killing all the time? At least in the military we had a reason to kill. A cause._

Then she remembered she _did _have a cause. She was doing this to get back at the people who had unjustly branded her a traitor. Them and everyone else like them.

But suddenly that excuse sounded very hollow to her. And she wasn't sure why.

_Why did you choose to come with Rame and me instead of traveling on your own?_ Vhetin had asked her during their first sparring match. _I need a more in-depth explanation than just 'I want to punish those who punished me.'_

_ I think I know now why he asked me that, _she thought. _Revenge is a great motivator, but only for a short time. After a while, it just... evaporates and leaves you with nothing but a lot of questions to answer._

So why _did _she want to become a bounty hunter? The decision had seemed so right when she had first made it that it was impossible to say that it was for revenge alone.

She thought about that during the entire ride back to the ship. By the time _Void_'s spearhead shape came into view in the distance, she still didn't have an answer.

She frowned as they approached the ship. She would have to think about this, and think about it hard.

_Do I really have what it takes? Can I really be a bounty hunter?_

**Later**

Jay sat across from Vhetin in _Void_'s small mess hall, cupping a mug of caf between her hands as she watched him bandage his wounded and bleeding arm. He winced slightly as he cinched the first layer of bandages tight, then fastened them with a strip of adhesive.

The wound had scored down the Mandalorian's left bicep, and the pulsating blade of the vibrosword had tornhis arm open all the way down to the muscle. Vhetin should have been applying stitches, but he'd said he didn't currently have a med kit onboard with those kinds of medical tools. So he was bandaging his wound tight, keeping the blood flow in check till he could get the wound properly dressed.

She took a sip of caf and narrowed her eyes at the bounty hunter.

"Supersoldier," she said, staring at the face of his expressionless battle helmet.

He glanced up at her and tipped his head to the side, confused. "What?"

"You _are_ a supersoldier, aren't you? I've heard of programs in the Empire that are working on that, but I never thought-"

He stared at her, then let out a quiet chuckle and shook his head. "I already told you, no. Keep guessing."

"A Jedi?"

He shook his head again.

"You can't be a Sith," she said disbelievingly.

Again, he shook his head, pulling out another long strip of bandages to cover the already-bloody first layer.

"Then what?"

"I can't use the Force, if that's what you're getting at," he said. "And I am _not_ a supersoldier."

She shook her head. "Well you sure aren't _normal_, that's for sure. The way you were fighting out there... it was incredible."

"Practiced."

"What?"

He looked at her, and she could tell he was watching her intently. "I'm _practiced_," he explained. "I've perfeted what I do until it's almost like an art form. _That's _how I'm so talented with my saber-staff."

He turned back to his bandages, quietly muttering, "Sith my _shebs_."

She took another sip of her beverage and leaned forward, placing her arms on the tabletop in front of her. "Okay, then," she said, unable to stop a hint of triumph from slipping into her voice. "Answer me this: how were you able to jump so high? You kicked that merc in the face with both feet from a dead stop. If you're not a supersoldier or Force-user, how can you do that?"

"That's for me to know," he said, "and you not to."

She smiled and shook her head. "You know, you may think your mysterious attitude is somehow attractive, but it's really just annoying."

He stopped bandaging his arm and looked up at her again. When he spoke, his voice was very serious.

"I consider myself to be a lot of things," he said quietly. "_Attractive_ is not one of them."

"Sorry." She backed down, raising her eyebrows. If she didn't know better, she would have thought she'd struck a nerve. "Touchy subject?"

"You could say that," he said, turning back to his bandages.

They sat in silence for some time, Jay sipping at her caf, Vhetin continuing to bandage his wounded arm. Then she frowned and suddenly asked, "Why?"

He looked up at her, tipping his helmet questioningly again and she said, "Why is it a touchy subject? I mean, Aramis told me-"

She suddenly stopped, realizing that she had overstepped her bounds. She was still the rookie here, and it wasn't her place to pry into the private life of her partner. Not only that, but her info was bassed on a _rumor_. She was sure Vhetin would be offended. Maybe he'd even blast her, right here.

But Vhetin didn't seem angry. He just sighed and said, "You've been listening to _Oyu'baat _gossip, haven't you?"

She hesitated, but nodded, hearing a bit of amusement in his voice.

"All right then, what did Aramis tell you? It better not be about that time on Polis Massa, or I'm going to rip off his-"

She shook her head. "No, he just told me that... well, that you had some kind of relationship with Brianna. Is that true?"

He stared at her for a moment, then quietly said, "In a way."

"What do you mean?"

He fastened the adhesive on the last layer of bandages and sighed. "I can tell I'm not going to be able to leave without giving you an answer."

"Not really," she said. "I'm a very curious person."

He shrugged and said, "Okay, if you really want to hear about it..."

He rested his folded arms on the tabletop in front of him and stared at the flat surface distractedly for a moment. Then he said, "Brianna and I first met about seven years ago. Back then, she was working onboard the _Blood Lily_, a cargo frieghter hauling supply runs for MandalMotors. She was an old friend of Rame's and Mia's; they'd known each other since Bri was a kid. And then I came along.

"I was... well, pretty messed up at that time, still getting over some serious problems of mine. She helped me out, helped me get through the days without killing myself. After a few years, I decided to adopt the Mandalorian way of life and she decided to become a bounty hunter. She helped me through that tough transition, too. After a time, we got a little cozy, then it just developed into... more."

"You sound uncomfortable about that," she observed.

He sighed and his shoulders slumped. "I'm not exactly the kind of guy you want to get all cozy with. I have trouble returning those feelings."

_Because you're so good at suppressing them? _she wondered. Bu she didn't dare say that out loud. So she just brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and asked, "So what now?"

He shrugged. "We keep going together to the best of our ability, but these past few months have been a little... strained. I think we're both starting to wake up a little and realize that we aren't exactly right for each other."

"I'm sorry."

He shook his helmeted head. "Don't be. It's not your problem."

"I still asked about it, all the same. I'm sorry to pry into your personal life."

He shrugged again. "It's hardly a secret. And if Aramis suspects, you can be sure the rest of Keldabe knows as well."

He stood from the table and walked past her, moving toward the door, lost in his own thoughts. She heard the door hiss open behind her.

Jay stared at the spot he had left, thinking hard. Was this what awaited her if she continued her life as a bounty hunter? Would her conscience just waste away, leaving her with nothing but empty emotions and ash where her heart should be? She barely knew anything about Vhetin, and while she was beginning to feel some small affection for the man, she had already made up her mind that she didn't want to become like him; cold, solitary, and unable or unwilling to do anything about it.

But was he really that bad? He'd devotedh is life to administering justice to an unjust galaxy, had rescued her from certain death, and had given back to her everything she could ever have hoped for.

Brianna had apparently seen something in him, apparently still saw something in him to this day. What was it that she and Rame saw that Jay was still missing?

Still standing in the doorway, Vhetin paused and half-turned back to her. He spoke quietly and Jay started, shaking from her thoughts.

"You did well out there today, he said. "I'm glad to have you watching my back."

She paused for a moment, then thanked him and turned back to her mug of caf, hardly believing what she'd just heard. A real compliment? From _him_?

Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

** Kassh's Hideout, the next morning**

Kassh was standing on the roof level of his hidout, watching the dawn high above the towering skyscrapers of Coruscant's cityscape. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, hoping for the smeel of fresh air and the feel of a cool breeze on his face. But he only smelled the rank stench of the Underworld, and the breeze on his face was hot and sticky, pushed about by artificial atmospheric compensators two city blocks away.

He scowled and clenched a fist.

_Civilization... what a horrid plague it is. Civilization... technology... evolution... All have brought nothing but ruination and misery to all who surround it, like the pestilence it truly is. The weak grow fat and rich and are elevated to godhood while the strong toil away to scratch a living off hunks of duracrete, only to be met with disappointment after disappointment, defeat after defeat. Trillions throughout galactic history have died in the name of progress, crushed under the iron boot heel of the more fortunate. And I may yet be one of them._

_ Is that justice?_

There was a loud thumping behind him, signalling Durge's approach. The Gen'dai had to duck to move through the opening of the 'floor' and the durasteel roof groaned dangerously beneath his bulk. He made a raspy coughing sound, the closest he could come to clearing his throat. He had no throat, after all; Gend'dai had no actual organs or compound tissue matter to speak of. Instead, they posessed billions of nerve clusters that allowed them to move, as well as a completely self-driven vascular system. Durge was virtually invincible. He'd even been flown into a sun during the Clone Wars and was still able to stand before Kassh today. It was one of his few redeeming qualities as an employee.

Kassh sighed and turned to his enforcer. "What is it now?"

"Sir," Durge rumbled, "your contacts at the Underworld Cantina have reported that Cin Vhetin approached the bartender last night and asked for your whearabouts."

"So?" Kassh said, raising a skeptical eyebrow. "I hope you don't expect me to listen to your dull reports on Vhetin's every thought and movement."

Durge paused, obviously debating on whether or not to resume his report. Kassh sighed and waved him on. "Fine. Continue."

The Gen'dai clenched his fists and growled, "He killed four of the MUV mercenaries sent to silence him and put two others in the medcenter. And he wasn't alone."

"Another Mandalorian was with him?" Kassh said. Now that was interesting. Vheitn usually worked alone, and when he did work with a partner, it was only with someone he trusted deeply. Could it be that cowardly fool, Omotao? Or perhaps some new bucket-head mercenary hoping to make a few credits?

But Durge shook his head. "No. The reports say it was a human female accompanying him."

"Brianna, perhaps?"

Again, Durge shook his head. "Security footage suggests the woman is Jay Kolta, a recent escapee from an Imperial prison facility on Corulag. Should I turn the footage over to the Imperials?"

"Are you mad?" Kassh shot towards his enforcer. "Aftera ll our fighting to convince the other crime lords to back away from the Empire, your suggestion is to turn to them for assitance the moment we come across an unexpected participant in our little game? No. We shall see what this woman is capable of. If she is a serious enough threat, we shall eliminate her."

"Why not kill them both?"

"For the moment, Vhetin's assassination would cause a stir among the other crime lords; he is well-known, and favored by Prince Xizor. That is why we must go to great lengths to show that he was destroyed while attempting to hunt me; that he was gunned down by a more worthy opponent as it were."

Durge chuckled.

"But an Imperial refugee, tragically gunned down in broad daylight by an unknown assailant?" Kassh grinned. "No one will care."

Durge banged a fist against his metal chest plate with a resounding _thud_. "As you wish," he said, bowing his masked head.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Hunt Continues

**Industrial Sector, Imperial City (formerly Coruscant)**

The next morning, Vhetin steered his ship towards the center of the sprawling industrial complex that served as a cover for the criminal syndicate known as Bloody Dawn.

A sprawling collection of low-slung buildings and towering skyscrapers, the place looked like any other factory or business complex in Coruscant's Industrial Sector. The only odd element was the huge twenty-five meter wall, complete with full-range rotating autocannons of the kind seen on military capital ships; a little overenthusiastic for a simple manufacturing company. But Vhetin knew from past experience that there was much more going on here than simple industrial exports.

Kidnapping, assassinations, smuggling, drug running, and a myriad of other less-than-legal businesses were run out of this very area, and all of them were headed by a single powerful crime lord named Sekha.

And that was just who he needed to see.

As he crossed the perimeter, swooping over the huge boundary wall, two ships that looked as if they were built out of a collection of razor blades swooped in and flanked _Void_. Vhetin noticed that the autocannons also swiveled to follow his ship.

_Hmm_, Vhetin thought. _Apparently I've been away for a little too long. _Void_'s transponder must not be cleared for access any more._

"You are tresspassing on private property," came the raspy, growling voice of a Nikto over the ship's comm. "State your business here or we'll slag you into oblivion."

Vhetin keyed the blue comm button and replied, "I'm here on business. I'm an old acquaintence of Sekha's. I'd like to meet with her."

"Sekha has plenty of males to keep her occupied," the Nikto pilot growled. "Turn around and leave, _Void_."

"Not that kind of acquaintence," Vhetin sighed. "I used to work for her."

"As I said, she-"

"As a _bounty hunter_," Vhetin snapped. "I need information from her."

"Too bad. Turn around and-"

The Nikto suddenly broke off on the comm and Vhetin tightened his grip on the flight yoke, wary in case the two fighters pulled back to fire.

But when the pilot's voice came back, there was a hint of forced respect in it. "Proceed to landing pad D," he growled. "You've been cleared for access."

"Copy that." Vhetin signed off the comm and angled his ship towards the designated landing pad. After a moment, the fighters peeled away and disappeared to the east. Vhetin was glad to see them go; an armed escort wasn't exactly what he needed right now. All he needed was information.

The door to the cockpit hissed open and Jay entered, taking a seat in the copilot's chair. She yawned, ran a hand through her hair absently and said, "Good morning. Where exactly are we?"

"Are you rested?" he asked.

She nodded, her brows creasing in a slight frown. "I'm fine. Why?"

"Because we're heading into dangerous territory. Bloody Dawn headquarters."

"Okay..." she sounded confused.

"Sekha's base is a haven for illegal business," he told her. "You'll want to keep your nose in your own business, or you're likely to get it shot off."

"Got it. But who is this Sekha character, anyway? I've never heard of her."

He let out a quiet chuckle. "That's the way she wants it. Sekha is the head of a huge criminal organization known as Bloody Dawn. She's one of Prince Xizor's biggest competitors in virtually all the vices: spice, smuggling, stolen goods, prostitution, et cetera. But she also dabbles in areas that even Xizor won't touch."

"Such as?"

"Pollitical assassinations, military-grade weapons trafficking, kidnapping, intergalactic terrorism, take your pick. The only reason she isn't on top of the entire criminal game is that the Empire is currently trying to weed her out of the Coruscant underworld. They know she's the head of the system, but don't have any proof, so they're putting all their assets into taking her out. She's had to lay relatively low for the past three years."

"And she'll have information on Kassh."

"She was the only being Kassh went to for help when Jabba posted the first bounty on his head. He's relied on her many times in the past, and it stands to reason that he would have done so again."

"And what makes you think she'll tell you anything?" Jay asked.

It was a good question, but Vhetin had little concern for that eventuality. "I used to work as a full-time bounty hunter under her employ for a few years; she likes Kassh, but she likes me better. And she'll do anything to take out a rival gang. We're all but doing her a favor by taking Kassh out."

Jay frowned as _Void_ set down gently on the landing pad. It sounded like Sekha was the best source of information on Kassh. But it also sounded like she was cunning and treacherous.

Would she really do anything to take out a rival gang? Jay and Vhetin were technically working for Prince Xizor_ and_ Jabba the Hutt, two powerful crime lords that Sekha was sure to have bad relations with. That didn't exactly give her reason to help them. But Vhetin knew more about her than Jay did, so she decided to play along.

Vhetin let the ship's engines cool down for a moment, then shut them down and lowered the exit ramp. He stood from the pilot's seat and gestured for her to follow him.

"Sekha probably won't try to harm us," he said. "But just keep your head down and your mouth shut around these people. The less we reveal to her or her minions, the better off we'll be."

"From all you've said," Jay decided to point out, "she doesn't sound trustworthy enough to rely on her intel."

"She let us land, didn't she?" he replied. "That means she wants something."

"And if she wants your head?"

He shrugged and patted his saber-staff, hooking it against his rocket pack. "Then we'll have to fight our way out."

She sighed. "That's a great comfort."

They headed out onto the landing pad, where a group of heavily-armed Twi'leks were waiting impatiently for them. As they approached, one of the big ones with dark green skin stepped forward and gestured to them.

"You will follow us to the security station," one of them said in heavily accented Basic.

Vhetin nodded and he and Jay followed them. As they passed through a large door into the industrial center, Vhetin slowed slightly to speak to Jay as they walked. They entered a huge atrium with large fountains and even an interior park, complete with trees, bushes, and a small pond. Jay had never seen anything like it.

Beings of all kinds were hurrying about their business, some of them carrying lethal-looking weapons. Everywhere she looked, she saw a sun emblem and the words _Reenactment Cooperative_.

"The Reenactment Cooperative is the cover business for Bloody Dawn," Vhetin said quietly. "Supposedly, they specialize in the disposal of noxious industrial waste, as well as the mass-sterilization of hyper-toxic spills. But they use their well-placed sources to lengthen their influence in the criminal underworld. Sekha is easily the wealthiest criminal figure in the galaxy. She has more credits than Prince Xizor and Jabba the Hutt combined. But she's smarter than those two; she prefers to be the puppet master behind everything, rather than an in-the-open gangster like Jabba."

They passed by the indoor park and headed towards a heavily guarded security station marked with a door that said _Employees Only_.

Three of the Twi'leks passed immediately through the door, but the big one turned to them and said, "You will disarm here before an audience with Sekha will be permitted. Conceal any weapons from us, and you will immediately be shot. Do you understand?"

Vhetin nodded, then discreetly nudged Jay in the side to make her copy him. She didn't exactly like the thought of relinquishing her only weapon, so as Vhetin began removing his missile-equipped jetpack and unholstering his blasters, she inconspicuously pulled her jacket down over her pistol's holster.

He somehow saw the motion, even though his back was to her; Vhetin seemed to have some kind of sixth sense when it came to noticing things around him. It was like he had eyes in the back of his head or something.

He turned slightly, making sure to not look directly at her, and shook his head slightly.

"Give them your weapon," he said quietly, almost too quiet to hear.

"But-"

"_Give them your weapon_," he repeated.

She sighed and pulled her pistol from its holster, handing it butt-first to the Twi'lek guard. The guard took her weapon and stored it inside the armored security outpost, then motioned them to follow him once more.

_So much for fighting our way out,_ Jay thought. _Now we're completely defenseless._

"Remember what I said," Vhetin said quietly. "Keep your head down and your mouth shut. I don't mean to sound rude, but speak only when you're spoken to. Sekha is very dangerous."

Jay actually detected the slightest hint of nervousness in his voice, which made her worry in turn. But she nodded and decided to follow his instructions. After all, it would be foolish to disregard his advice.

The guard led them down a long hallway with black doors on either side, until they reached a huge reinforced durasteel door. The Twi'lek typed in a security code and the door opened with a loud rumble and a screech.

Within was a room with large transparisteel windows facing the east, showing a large panorama of Coruscant's cityscape with the dawn just beginning to paint the sky a glowing red-orange. Long crimson curtains and draperies covered the entire room, reminding Jay of the syndicate's name: Bloody Dawn.

The floor was tiled with extravaagant Munnillista ceramics for a few feet before being replaced with rich red carpet. There were cushions covering a lowered spot in the center of the room, and a long, luxurious reclining couch covered in exotic animal furs.

A scantily-clad Twi'el female with light beige skin was lying back on the couch, attended by servants and majordomos. She had a soft, beautiful face with a dark-blue flower tattoo over her left eye, as well as several intricately tattooed designs across her arms and stomach. This was Sekha, most likely.

"Mistress," the guard said, bowing his head. "The _guests _are here."

At the sound of the guard's voice, Sekha opened a single eye lazily. Vhetin took three steps forward and clasped his hands behind his back, almost as if he were standing at attention.

The Twi'lek's face stretched into a pleased smile and she gestured for her servants to leave. They scurried away, disappearing into hidden doors in the walls. After only moments, they had vanished.

"Good," Sekha said, swinging her long legs around onto the floor and standing. Her motions were smooth and graceful, like the movements of a skilled dancer. Jay had a feeling that Sekha had occupied such a position over the course of her career. She could tell Sekha was used to using her looks to get what she wanted; it was written across her every movement.

"You may leave, Uitani," she said.

The guard looked uncertain only for a moment, but bowed again and backed out of the room. The huge reinforced door boomed shut behind him, leaving Jay and Vhetin alone with the criminal kingpin. Or maybe it was queenpin, since Sekha was female. Jay didn't know.

Sekha surveyed Vhetin with a singel raised eyebrow as she swaggered seductively toward him.

"When I saw your ship approaching my facility," she said in a quiet, smooth voice, "I was so _happy_ to know that you were coming back. It's been so long since you've been my guest. Have you come back for work?"

"Actually," Vhetin said calmly, "I'm already working a job. That's why I'm here."

"Oh? And why exactly do you need me?" She smiled, wrapping her arms around Vhetin's neck and pressing her body close to his. Jay raised an eyebrow, interested to see how Vhetin would react to such intimacy.

"I'm here for information," he replied, seemingly unfazed.

Sekha grinned. "About?"

"Kassh."

Her smile faltered for only a moment, but Jay caught it all the same. She clearly had not expected that.

The Twi'lek quickly regained her composure, however. She grinned widely and briefly kissed the front of Vhetin's battle helmet, then turned away and walked back to her couch.

"I like you, Cin," she said, trailing her long fingers across one of the furs draped across her couch. "But I'm sorry; I can't help you."

Vhetin took a step forward and folded his arms across his chest. "Can't or won't?"

Sekha laughed and returned to her previous position on the couch, tossing one of her head-tails playfully over her shoulder. "I'm telling you the truth. I don't know where Kassh is, where he's going, or what he's thinking. And I know that's what you want to find out by coming to me."

"I need to find him. And you're the only one in the galaxy he trusts."

"And why would I violate that 'trust' to help you bring him in _again_?" She frowned with mock-thoughtfulness. "That doesn't sound like me."

Jay thought that sounded exactly like her. From what she could already tell about the crime lord, Sekha was outwardly seductive and sociable – in a rather odd way – but beneath that facade was a cunning and devious mind. Jay didn't trust her in the least; she didn't even enjoy being in the same _room_ as the female.

"I happen to know that Midnight Ultraviolet is moving in on Bloody Dawn territory," Vhetin said, "hoping to make a profit by leeching off your organization's businesses. I know that no matter how much you trust Kassh, you don't trust him enough to look the other way while he steals from you. And I know that the last thing you want is more competitors."

Sekha's smile didn't falter, but Jay saw the look in her eyes turn positively frosty. It was a stunning change from the seductive temptress she'd been only moments before.

She laid back on the couch and played with the tip of one lekku absently.

"All right," she said eventually. "You called my bluff. What is it you want from me?"

"Any information regarding Kassh: where he is, who he's working with, what his plans are. I inted to bring him in for good this time."

"Ah, of course," she said quietly. She crossed her legs and said, "But we still have a problem, you and I. Even if I do want Kassh gone, I am still a functioning businesswoman. I have something you want, so what do _you_ have to trade for it?"

Vhetin didn't answer, clearly not expecting that response; after all, he'd thought that Sekha would see that they were doing her a favor by ridding her of Kassh. Apparently, that wasn't good enough for her.

After a moment, Sekha grinned triumphantly and said, "Ah. So you have nothing to offer in return. If that's the case, I'm afraid I can't help you."

A thoughtful look suddenly crossed her beautiful features and two of her fingers touched her chin slightly. "Unless..."

She turned her thoughtful gaze back to Vhetin, then clapped her hands together, sitting up straight on her couch.

"All right; I will help you. But _you_ have to help _me _first."

"How?" Vhetin asked, his voice tight with skepticism.

She smiled. "I just... happen to have a bounty for you to track down for me. Bring him in, and I _might_ be able to supply you with the information you seek."

"And why should I work for you again? You tried to kill me on my last job."

"As I recall, all I did was pull a knife on you. I _may _have waved it in your direction, and it _might_ have cut your arm slightly. You, however, broke two of my ribs and my forearm. I have the scars to prove it, if you'd like to see them."

She shrugged. "But come now, Cin. Let's not bring up old quarrels."

Jay narrowed her eyes. So, Sekha was also prone to attacking her employees. That just made her more dangerous.

The Twi'lek gestured to a holopanel on the far wall. "All the information you need is on that terminal. I trust you'll find the bounty adequate, considering what you're asking of me in return."

Vhetin glanced at Sekha, looking suspicious, then strode towards the panel, leaving Jay standing alone. He tapped in a few commands, then was still, carefully reading the document displayed there.

Jay didn't know whether to follow him and read over his shoulder or wait for him to transfer the document to her datapad for subsequent perusal. So she just stood there, shifting her feet slightly, uncomfortable and awkward. Sekha saw the motion and turned her gaze toward her.

"And who are you?" she asked, seeming to notice her for the first time.

Jay stared at the Twi'lek, remembering Vhetin's earlier words: _speak only when spoken to._

She replied, "I'm Vhetin's partner."

"Ah yes, I remember your face now," Sekha said with a knowing smile. "Jay Kolta. You've caused quite a stir among the Imperials with that little prison escape stunt of yours." She raised a skeptical eyebrow, looking Jay up and down from her position on her luxurious couch. "You don't look like much. I wonder what he sees in you?"

Jay blushed and fell silent, thinking, _Is there anyone in the galaxy who doesn't know about BlueSend Base?_

But Sekha wasn't finished with her yet.

"Tell me," she said, folding her legs casually, "how many beings have you killed? I'm just asking out of curiosity, of course."

"Enough," Jay replied. "I was one of the top pilots in my squadron-"

Sekha waved her hand, dismissing the answer. "That doesn't matter. Killing from the cockpit of a starfighter is nothing like having a blaster in your hand."

"I happen to disagr-"

"I am sure you are not being paid to talk," she interrupted again. "After all, bounty hunters are not hired for their social skills."

Jay scowled and fell silent.

Sekha smiled sweetly and said, "So answer my question correctly; have you ever stared into the eyes of the being you were about to kill, seen their terror, heard their sobbing and the pleading, then pressed the cold metal of the blaster to their forehead and pulled the trigger anyway? Have you ever killed in cold blood?"

Jay paused, then shook her head. "N-no. I can't say I have."

"Then what hope do you have of succeeding as a bounty hunter, I wonder? I mean, if you've never even killed before-"

"You seem to have a lot of knowledge on the subject yourself," Jay blurted out, her temper getting the better of her. "Exactly how many beings have _you_ killed?"

Her eyes snapped wide and it was all she could do to keep herself from clapping her hands over her mouth.

_Damn it!_ she thought. _Now I've done it. Now Sekha's probably going to have us executed because of me and my big mouth._

But Sekha just laughed. "Ah, so _that's_ why he allows you along. I was wondering for a while."

She nodded in approval, looking at Jay with newfound respect. Or maybe it was just less condescension. "You've got spirit, girl," she said. "Maybe you'll be able to make it, after all."

Jay fell silent again, and Sekha returned to studying her closely. After a moment, the Twi'lek said, "I'm going to let you in on a little secret about your partner. He never does anything without reason. That makes him both an effective hunter, but also very predictable. And because of that rather _special_ personality, I think I know why he brought you on as his partner."

"Why?" Jay was genuinely curious. She didn't trust Sekha, but the crime lord knew more about Vhetin than Jay did. That made her information useful, even if it came from an unreliable source.

"It wasn't to help _you_; it was to help _himself_," she said with a knowing smile.

"What do you mean by that?"

Sekha shook her head in disappointment. "Come on, now. You know that a big, bad bounty hunter like Cin could pick up any hired thug he wants to use as a temporary partner, then toss them once the job over. But he picked _you_ for a reason.

"I think it was because you remind him of himself; someone who's lost everything that makes them who they are, then been given a chance at a new life. He thinks that by helping you, he'll make it so you don't turn out like he did. That he'll 'save' you from a tortured existence like his, such as it were."

She sighed and examined her neatly-manicured fingernails with feigned nonchalance. "But that's just what I think."

"I'd rather prefer to think he chose me as a partner because I'm a good shot, and a good bounty hunter" Jay said quietly. "Not that he's just trying to help himself by helping me in a weird, reversed way. But that's just _me_."

Sekha laughed, then looked over at Jay again. "You know what? I like you."

_The feeling is _not _mutual_.

The Twi'lek stood and walked closer, picking up a datachip from a nearby table as she approached. "If you ever find yourself tired of freelance hunting," the Twi'lek said quietly, slipping the chip into Jay's jacket pocket, "call this transmitter number. I'm sure I can find an opening for a full-time employee. It's ever so hard to find good assassins these days."

"Thanks," Jay said, leaning away from the female slightly. With Sekha in such close proximity to her, Jay could almost feelthe maliciousness radiating from the Twi'lek, masked beneath her strong berry-scented perfume. Jay suddenly didn't want to spend another moment in her presence.

Sekha winked as she turned back to Vhetin, who was still reading through the document on the holopanel.

"Well?" Sekha called. "Is it satisfactory?"

The Mandalorian didn't move from his position, but called, "That's not the word I'd use. This guy's a Class Six bounty; a dangerous barve. You want me to bring him in to trade for information?"

"Mm-hm."

"You know that accepted tradition says that nothing higher than a Class Three is accepted for information barter."

Sekha placed her hands on her hips and said, "But you and I have never been ones for tradition, have we?"

Vhetin paused, then reluctantly nodded. "Fine. I'll bring this guy in. But I want ten thousand as well as the information."

"Are you mad? Five thousand," Sekha shot back.

"Eight."

"Seven and a half."

"Deal," Vhetin nodded and headed for the door. "I'll contact you by week's end. I'll have him by then."

"I'll be waiting," Sekha said, watching him leave. Jay moved to follow him as the huge reinforced doors parted once more. Jay didn't look back, feeling a shiver run down her spine as she finally left the room.

Vhetin didn't slow to allow her to catch up, just kept walking resolutely forward, keeping his gaze fixed on the passage ahead. Jay almost had to jog to catch up with him. When she did, she risked a glance over her shoulder and whispered, "Wow."

"I told you; Sekha's cunning and treacherous."

"'Treacherous' doesn't even begin to describe. I've felt less deviousness from a slythmonger. And what was all that about a Class Six bounty we have to hunt down?"

"Conventionally," Vhetin said, "bounties are arranged into classes from one to ten. One means they're not dangerous at all, and the bounty's a cheap-ass milk run. And ten means they're extremely dangerous and that no bounty hunters are expected to return from hunting them, no matter how good they are."

"And this new guy is a Class Six?"

"Yep."

Jay sighed and shook her head. "Figures. I knew Sekha wouldn't part with her information easily."

He glanced at her. "And you think Sekha has an idea of where Kassh is?"

Jay snorted. "I think she knows _exactly_ where he is, and she's just toying with us. She's dangling a rorra in front of our noses to make us fix a problem of hers before we move out again. She's taking advantage of us."

"Be that as it may," Vhetin said quietly, "we need her help. So we'll have to chase that rorra in front of our nose for now."

"And who is he?" Jay asked. "This guy we have to hunt down, I mean?"

"I'll tell you when we get back to the ship. In the meantime, we need to grab our weapons and get the hell out of here."

And with that, he fell silent, lost in his own thoughts. Jay glanced over her shoulder one more time, then fished in her jacket pocket and pulled out the datachip Sekha had given her.

After meeting with the Twi'lek, she wasn't sure she wanted to work for _any_ corrupt criminal kingpin, no matter how immoral and murderous the actual bounty was. Doing evil deeds for an evil person didn't seem right to her, no matter how much good it would accomplish in the long run.

So, as they passed a garbage incinerator – the sealed interior currently heated to over four thousand degrees – Jay pulled back the lid and tossed the chip inside.

* * *

><p><strong>Freelance Transport <strong>_**Void**_**, stationed at Sector Gee-Eight-Seven Spaceport**

"Pollamo," Vhetin said, projecting the holoimage of a one-eyed Rodian onto the duraplast tabletop. He rested a palm on the table as he leaned forward, making the projection sputter slightly. "Wanted for money counterfeiting, high-grade database hacking, and embezzlement."

"So why is he a Class Six bounty?" Jay inquired, studying the scrawny Rodian closely. He didn't look that dangerous.

"Because of his adopted big brother," the bounty hunter explained, projecting the image of a scowling, heavily-armed human next to the holo of the Rodian. "Kokr. He's extremely protective of Pollamo and has sworn to kill anyone that even _looks_ at his brother in a way he doesn't like."

"Okay," Jay said slowly, leaning back in her chair. "So what does Sekha want with him?"

"Becuase a year ago, Pollamo stole somehting close to a billion credits from Sekha's personal accounts. He just skimmed ten percent off every transaction going in and out of Bloody Dawn headquarters for twenty-four hours. And with a business as big as Sekha's, you can imagine how much that ranked in for him."

He sat down. "And as you can imagine, it caused quite an uproar when Sekha's business associates were given only ninety percent of their payments."

"I can imagine," Jay said. "I can imagine them storming Bloody Dawn headquarters because they were stiffed a _fraction_ of a percent."

"It's been the death of more than one criminal syndicate," Vhetin said, nodding. "But luckily Sekha was able to find the cause of her money shortage and track it to Pollamo before her clients went after her with torches and pitchforks."

He let the holoimage sputter out and said, "Now, three months ago, Sekha's organization picked up transmissions between the two. All the transmission were bounced off a well-monitored comm relay orbiting Rhen Var. Subsequent investigation shows that they're hiding out in an old abandoned smuggling outpost there."

"Not exactly the most visitor-friendly planet in the galaxy," Jay sighed, leaning back in her chair. Was any of this going to be easy? "So what's our angle? How can we expect to take this guy by surprise?"

Jay had learned very early on from Vhetin that surprising the bounty was the best way to bring them in without serious injury. If the bounty knew the hunter was coming, they'd have time to set traps and prepare for the hunter's arrival. It was one of the reasons Jay was so worried about closing in on Kassh. It was taking entirely too long to find his location.

Vhetin shrugged. "This guy's never hit a target as big as Bloody Dawn. He won't be expecting such serious consequences."

"So - just to clarify - your plan is to barge in, guns blazing, and hope that his brother doesn't rip us limb from limb?"

"Pretty much," Vhetin admitted. "Except for one thing: his brother won't be a problem. Because w'ere going to take him out of the equation first."

"We're going to kill him?"

He shook his head. "No. We weren't hired for that. What we're going to do is feed him false information that his brother is in trouble on a different planet. That Sekha's hired bounty hunters based off of... well, pick somewhere."

"So he goes to investigate these ghost hunters while we track down where his brother_ really_ is," Jay said, nodding.

It was a smart plan, but there was one flaw. Jay rested her arms on the tabletop in front of her and said, "We'd have to get this done quickly, before his brother finds out what's really going on."

"Yeah. But by the time his brother finds out what's really going on, we'll be long gone. Without his brother hovering behind him, Pollamo is only a Class Two bounty. He's a spineless creep that'll barely put up a fight."

"Why do I get the feeling this isn't going to work so smoothly?" Jay asked.

Vhetin shrugged and headed for the cockpit. "Think what you will, but this is going to be a piece of cake. In the meantime, you should get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a big day."

* * *

><p>The door hissed shut behind him as he stepped into the long central corridor of the ship. Vhetin took a deep breath, letting the quiet hum of the ship's engines draw the tension from his body. After only a few moments, his muscles relaxed and he let out the breath he'd been holding.<p>

As he hit the opening button to the cockpit, he opened a long-distance comm channel. There was silence over the comm for a moment, then a long, slow beep signalled that the hail was being sent. After a few hailing beeps, his contact picked up the other line.

"Vhetin, is that you?" Tarron said, sounding exhausted. "It's like midnight here. You've brought Kassh in already?"

"Not quite," Vhetin replied. "I need some information. I need you to hack the Imperial database and tell me what you find out."

"What do you mean?"

"I have a lead on Kassh's whearabouts, but I have to bring in a bounty to trade so I can follow it up. I need to know more about this new bounty. I'm sure the file I was supplied with wasn't complete."

"Who is it?"

"A Rodian named Pollamo, and a human accomplice named Kokr," Vhetin said, sliding into the pilot's seat and checking the status of the ship. "I need to know every scrap of info, every bit of dirt about them you can find."

"I'll see what I can dig up," Tarron said. "I'll get back to you. And Cin?"

"Yeah."

"Brianna's pissed that you left without saying goodbye. She's stocking up on guns as we sepak."

Vhetin cracked the slightest bit of a smile and said, "It was a split-second decision. I had to chase this lead while it was still chaseable."

"Yeah, you go ahead and tell that to Bri when you get back. Maybe she'll just shoot you in the knees and be done with it."

"Tell her I said hello, then. And tell her to leave the guns alone; I'll be back in around two weeks, maybe less."

"Are you kidding? I wouldn't go near her if I had a lightsaber!"

"Just tell her, okay?"

"Fine. Tarron out."

Vhetin signed off his end of the comm and sat back, putting his hands behind his head and closing his eyes. His part in this over for the day. At last, he could relax.

* * *

><p><strong>The next day<strong>

Jay woke slowly and sat up, rubbing sleep from her eyes and yawning. Unlike usual, when she would begin her morning excercises, the first thing she did was look for her pistol.

There it was; sitting on the shelf next to her cot. She sighed and pulled it closer.

She was getting paranoid, but with good reason. The past few days had shaken her to the core, more than anything had ever done over her entire life. She suddenly felt exposed, in danger, wherever she went.

_Maybe it's just my bounty hunter mindset kicking in,_ she thought. _Isn't this what Vhetin's been teaching you? Never let your guard down? Trust nothing and no one, no matter what?_

She shook her head as she dressed, thinking, _Vhetin was right. This job isn't for the weak of heart. But I think I can handle it._

She headed for the door, hoping Vhetin would have some new information for her. Maybe he'd have tracked down this Pollamo guy already and they'd be ready to head out. She was eager to get away from Coruscant; so far, she greatly preferred the rural landscape of Mandalore than the clogged, claustrophobic streets and airways of Coruscant.

She walked into the hallway, thinking over all the information they'd accumulated over the past two days, sifting the information and looking for potential clues. Eventually, a list began to form in her mind.

One, they knew that Kassh was at large and probably planning a trap for them. That made their own game dangerous, and they were at risk of falling prey to their own bounty. Jay shuddered at the mere thought of such a humiliating occurrence.

Two, they knew that Kassh had the backing of his entire criminal organization and was probably gunning for them right now, hoping to eliminate them before they even got close to finding them. But with everything she'd learned about Kassh so far, she found it unlikely that he'd want them dead so soon; he'd probably want to watch them suffer slowly. It was gruesome, but the most likely idea given everything she'd heard about Kassh so far.

Three, they knew that Sekha was aware of Kassh's location, but wasn't about to relinquish that information without something in return. Jay could appreciate that mindset, but it did throw an extra wild card into the mix. Sekha probably knew exactly who Jay and Vhetin were working for, and might just lie to lead them into a trap, ridding Jabba the Hutt and Prince Xizor of two useful assets.

Four, they knew that this new bounty, Pollamo, was a spineless worm just waiting to be brought in, and that Sekha would give up her information once he was safely in her custody. After reading and re-reading Pollamo's file, Jay was confident he wouldn't put up much of a fight; his file had said he abhorred weapons of any kind, preferring terror tactics and computer slicing to physical violence.

Five, they knew the Rodian wasn't expecting anyone to come after him, and therefore wouldn't expect two bounty hunters to blast his door down and drag him to Bloody Dawn's leader.

And six, they knew that Pollamo's brother was a serious threat, though thankfully lacking in the brain department. That would work to their favor, but it was foolish to underestimate someone that dangerous. She also knew it was dangerous to _over_estimate someone of that caliber as well.

She shrugged to herself. It was confusing, but it didn't look like there was any serious surprises lying in wait. In fact-

A flutter of movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she stopped dead. Instinct kicked in, and she drew herself out of sight around a doorframe, drawing her pistol swiftly and aiming towards the shadows that had just moved. Her military training kicked in, reinforced by Vhetin's teachings.

Who was that? Vhetin, maybe? She doubted it. Vhetin didn't usually slink around his ship like a prowling nexu. This was someone – or something – else. And if it moved again, it would get a blaster bolt in the head. Sometimes it was better to shoot first and ask questions later.

However, she still wasn't completely comfortable with that mindset yet. There was every possibility that whoever or whatever it was, it was no threat. So she stole a glance out the door and called, "Who's there? Show yourself or I'll shoot you for trespassing!"

A blaster bolt screamed out of the darkness and impacted next to her, missing her ear by only centimeters. She jerked back around the doorframe and let out an explosive breath.

That was definitely _not _Vhetin.

She saw the shadow dart for the back of the ship, and the exit ramp that had somehow been lowered. She threw herself around the corner, holstering her pistol and dashing after the mysterious intruder.

The being glanced over its shoulder and stumbled, wailing with fear. Jay quickly caught up with the shadowy trespasser and tackled him from behind. The being grunted as they both fell to the deck with a crash. Jay wrapped her arms around her quarry's shoulders and head-butted him in the face. It hurt her head, but she could tell it hurt the intruder more; she heard a sharp _crack_ and he squealed in pain.

Vhetin appeared from his quarters, just as he was pulling his helmet over his head. He looked up and down the hall in confusion, saw the two struggling on the floor, and started.

"What the hell?" he said as he approached.

Jay wrangled her opponent so he was face-down on the deck with his hands behind his back. He tried to struggle, but she yanked on his arms. He growned in pain and ceased his struggles.

"I caught this creep sneaking around the ship," Jay grunted, shaking hair out of her face. "He tried to fry me when I found him."

Vhetin knelt next to her and pulled a pair of stun cuffs from a pouch on his belt. He fastened them around the being's wrists with a single practiced movement and grabbed him by the back of the neck. As Jay stood, taking a step back to catch her breath, she saw that the trespasser was a scrawny, trembling Duros with blood pouring from both nostril slits, courtesy of Jay's head-butt.

Vhetin turned and surveyed her. "Are you all right?"

She nodded and took a deep breath. "I'm fine. Just a little out of breath. He surprised me."

The Mandalorian nodded and turned back to the Duros, hauling him to his feet. He forced the alien's neck into a painful-looking angle and growled, "What the hell are you doing sneaking around my ship and shooting at my partner."

"Please! Please! Please!" the alien bawled, "I not know! I know not!"

Vhetin slapped him over the back of his head and pulled his pistol, pressing it into the back of the blue-skinned alien's head. "You're lying."

"No! No I not! Not I no!"

Jay folded her arms across her chest and said, "Who do you work for? Sekha? Or Kassh?"

"S-Sekha? Who that? That who?" the Duros sputtered.

Vhetin glanced at Jay, then turned back to the intruder and said, "Open your hands."

"W-what? What do you mean? What mean you?"

"Your _hands_," Vhetin snapped, slapping the Duros across the back of the head again. "Open them."

The Duros opened his hands, revealing dirty blue palms. Vhetin seemed to scrutinize them very closely before grunting and saying, "You're clean. Who sent you?"

"Wait," Jay interrupted. "What were you looking for when you were looking at his hands?"

Vhetin stared at her, then explained, "All Midnight Ultraviolet members have the tattoo of a splintered diamond on their palms. It's like a rite of passage for them. This guy's clean though; he has no tattoos."

"Oh."

Vhetin turned back to the alien and shook him, making his stun cuffs sputter slightly. The alien yelped as the cuffs sent a shock through his nervous system.

"Who sent you?" Vhetin repeated. She could see the alien's skin turning to a pale sky blue under Vhetin's tight grip.

The Duros sputtered, "P-p-p..."

He couldn't continue, and broke down into whimpering sobs. Vhetin shook him again and said, "Pollamo?"

The Duros shook his head. "N-no. His brother. The brother of his."

"Kokr?" Jay said. "How would he know about us? Unless..."

"He has high-level informants within Bloody Dawn," Vhetin finished, his voice dangerously low. He shoved the Duros against the wall with disgust. Then he turned away and ran a hand across the smooth dome of his helmet. "So Kokr's agent knew about our audience with Sekha, so he sends this scum-" he shoved the Duros against the wall harder, "-to find out what she told us."

He turned away and muttered, "_Shab. Shab, shab, _shab!"

"So they knew we're coming," she said, watching him as he paced back and forth.

"Maybe," he said. "Either way, we've lost the element of surprise."

"So much for our previous plan, then," Jay said.

He nodded bitterly and said, "_That's_ the reason Sekha's set us on this guy. She can get money to cover what Pollamo stole any time she wants. But someone who's infiltrated her organization is harder to deal with."

"So what now?" she asked. "We aren't giving up, are we?"

Vhetin shook his head, his voice resolute as he said, "Not a chance in hell. But we're going to approach this from a different angle."

He looked down at the whimpering, trembling Duros. As he stepped closer, the alien whimpered louder and tried to curl into a small ball. Vhetin bent down and grabbed the alien by the back of the neck again.

"And you are going to help us," he said.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Pollamo and Kokr

**Rhen Var**

Jay strode down the ramp, pulling another heavy overcoat over her body and rubbing her arms for warmth.

"Damn," she muttered, her breath coming out in visible puffs. "It's _cold_."

Vhetin scanned the horizon with a pair of high-power macrobinoculars. He had changed out of his usual black-gray _beskar_ armor; after all, black against the infinite white snowfields of Rhen Var was definitely a bad idea. He was currently dressed in a bulky white Sub-Zero Combat Suit, a prototype suit of Mandalorian armor courtesy of Ume'o up at MandalMotors. It featured a white Mandalorian helmet with a built-in macrobinocular set, HUD software upgrades for picking out targets among the blinding white of surrounding snow, a life-support backpack for extreme low temperatures, heavy-protection gloves, and a bulkier flak vest to preserve warmth. This prototype armor slid right over his normal suit, fitting over it like a second skin.

His reason for the upgraded kit was simple; normal Mandalorian armor had heating and cooling units to keep the wearer at a preset temperature. But the temp regulators weren't powerful enough to keep out the biting cold of Rhen Var. Even the SZC suit was hard-pressed to keep his body temperature above hypothermic levels.

But if Vhetin had it bad, Jay's situation was ten times more awkward. She had respectfully declined the use of a second suit he had on board – she had never been comfortable in such restricting garments as armor, even when it was as cold as it was now - and had been forced to bundle up in more than three layers of clothing as well as a full-face cloth mask with cumbersome frost protection goggles, just to keep herself warm.

_I used to be against terraforming planets_, Jay thought bitterly, shivering. _But I wouldn't mind a tropical Rhen Var._

She shook her head. _Nar Shadda, the Coruscant Underworld, and now here. Why can't we ever track down bounties on Dorumaa or Vaynai?_

The second suit had found a use in Tal Wam, their Duros intruder-turned-accomplice. The alien came scampering down the ship's ramp, bundled up in the bulky white suit and surveying the surroundings with his deep red eyes. He scrunched up his masked face and grimaced.

"Cold," he muttered. "Very, very cold. Cold, very very."

Vhetin shrugged off Wam's odd speech and turned to him. "Where is Pollamo's base?"

Wam gestured to the southwest. All Vhetin saw in that direction, even with the macrobinoculars pulled down, was an endless, frozen wasteland. It didn't look like much at all.

He glanced over at the alien and raised a skeptical eyebrow, though no one could see the motion behind his helmet. "You're sure?"

Tal Wam nodded emphatically. "Yep yep. That where they are," he said. "There they are where."

Jay stared at Wam in confusion, then shook her head and said to Vhetin, "So now we just siege their base, right?"

"It's not that simple," he replied. "They're going to be dug in like a nexu in its den. And they'll probably have private security forces crawling all over the place."

"And we're still waiting on Tarron's info update," Jay added.

He nodded. "Right. So for now, we're going to stay right here. If we're going to be staying for longer than a day, we'd also do well to disguise _Void_."

Jay surveyed the northern horizon, where a mass of dark clouds were gathering. "I think that snowstorm will do that for us. The planetary storm-warning system says to expect up to fifteen feet of snow. I checked as we set down."

"Then let's get back inside and see if we can't get Tarron on comms," Vhetin said, turning back to his ship. "If not, we can at least get out of this cold."

Jay stayed behind, however, as Vhetin and Wam headed up the ramp and into the ship. The stinging cold cut like knives into any of her that wasn't bundled under layers of coats and gloves, but she didn't care. She needed a moment alone.

She stared out at the horizon, thinking, _this isn't going to be easy, and I may even be killed while bringing this guy down._

_ So why don't I feel so nervous any more?_

It was a feeling – or lack thereof – that she'd had since the Underworld Cantina; a calm, level-headedness even in the face of death. She'd felt it while chasing Wam through the ship back on Coruscant, even though she had no clue who or what he was. And she felt it now. Her worry and nervousness weren't gone, just lurking under the surface, smothered by instinct and a belief that she would be able to take whatever was thrown at her.

_Is _this_ what it's like to be a bounty hunter?_

She didn't know, but she was sure of one thing: she wasn't afraid any more. And she had a feeling she wouldn't be afraid again.

* * *

><p>"Tarron, this is Vhetin, come in."<p>

Vheitn, changed back into his normal black armor and helmet, held the comlink in his hand and hit the transmitter button again.

"Tarron Matele," he repeated, "come in. This is Cin Vhetin."

"-eah," came the response, almost drowned out in static. "I'm... -arely getting... -ou. Where the... -ell are ou?"

Vhetin hit a button on a nearby wall panel and said, "Boost signal power. Clearance code Alpha Thirty Seven."

There was an acknoledgement tone, and the panel glowed green. Even though he couldn't see it, he knew a satellite dish was currently sliding from its housing on the outside of the ship and moving to triangulate Tarron's comm signal. After a moment, the static over the comm cleared and Tarron said, "Oh. That's better."

"We're on Rhen Var right now," Vhetin said, cutting right to the chase, "and we're in need of intel. What have you dug up on Pollamo and his brother?"

"Well," Tarron said, "I've got good news and bad news."

"Let's have the good news first," Jay said, entering the room and pulling off the last layer of overcoat. "For once, I'd like something in my life to have a positive spin."

"The good news is that Pollamo is exactly the spineless worm you thought he was. He shouldn't be too hard to bring in."

"Yep yep," Tal Wam said cheerfully. "Yep yep."

Vhetin glanced over at the Duros in annoyance, then said, "And what's the bad news?"

"His brother is deeply connected with the Empire," Tarron said. "As in 'has a personal division of stormtroopers guarding his outpost at all times' connected to the Empire."

Vhetin shook his head and muttered, "_Shab. _I knew-"

"Before you panic," Tarron interrupted, "there's a good spin to that as well. The Imperial he has connections with happens to be frowned upon by most of the Imperial fleet. Does the name Natasi Daala ring a bell with either of you?"

"Not really," Jay said, leaning her back against a bulkhead and folding her arms over her chest. "No."

"Natasi Daala," Vhetin murmured. "It does sound vaguely familiar..."

"She hired Pollamo and Kokr to infiltrate Bloody Dawn in an attempt to dig up dirt about Sekha and gather enough evidence for an arrest and excecution."

"So why is she so dangerous?" Jay asked, frowning.

"Oh, the usual: ruthless attitude, zero-tolerance for failure of any kind. She's merciless, pitiless, and ambitious. And while most of the Empire frowns on her rather _colorful_ assortment of employees — mercenaries, pirates, et cetera — she's well on her way to being the first Moff-ete."

"What do you mean?" Jay frowned thoughtfully and moved closer to the table.

"I mean that she has connections with one Wilhuff Tarkin," Tarron replied. "A nasty old-timer with a bad attitude towards anti-Imps. If you pull this one off, it'll take Daala some time to find another contact to infiltrate Sekha's territory on Coruscant. And I'm sure Sekha will be _very _thankful of that."

Vhetin couldn't miss the sarcasm in Tarron's tone; Tarron had never liked the fact that Vhetin had worked with Sekha. There was an old feud between the crime lord and the Journeyman Protector that Vhetin had yet to learn about. But old quarrels aside, Tarron had a very good point.

"Does Sekha know?"

"My guess is no. If she did, she would have come up with a better way do deal with Pollamo than sending bounty hunters. You might want to drop that little bombshell by her when you see her next. See how big a bonus she gives you."

"Hmm..." Vhetin sat back in his seat, frowning thoughtfully behind his helmet. After a moment, he said, "Thanks for the update, Tarron."

"No problem," the Journeyman Protector said, then signed off his side of the comm.

Vhetin set down the comm and turned to Tal Wam. He pulled a set of stun cuffs from his belt and said, "You're going to show us where their base is. We're going to recon the place, then we might – _might – _think about letting you go free. If not, we'll secure you to a rock out there and let you freeze to death."

"Yep yep," Wam said, his voice tinged with fear as Vhetin shook the stun cuffs intimidatingly. "I show you. Show you I."

Jay raised an eyebrow as Vhetin put the stun cuffs back on his belt. She rested her hands on her hips and said, "What, exactly, is your plan for bringing Pollamo in alive?"

Vhetin sighed. "I don't have a plan right yet. First we need to recon the area and see exactly what we're up against."

"Stormtroopers?" she asked.

"From what Tarron said, yeah. But he was mum as to how many there were; that's first thing we need to find out."

He pushed Wam out of the room towards the ship's cages. Jay stared after him, then pushed off the wall and followed him into the ship's central corridor.

"So how do we get there? You saw what it's like outside: just miles of snow in all directions."

"Checking against the coordinates Tal Wam gave us, I apparently set _Void_ down about four kilometers from Pollamo's base. Any closer, and we're in range of their sensors. So we'll have to hike to the base."

"Hike? In weather that cold?"

"Yeah. And don't forget your gloves," Vhetin said, "because on Rhen Var, unprotected skin gets frostbitten in thirty seconds flat."

* * *

><p>"Kark it, it's <em>cold<em> out here," Jay muttered, rubbing her gloved hands together as she waded through knee-deep snow. She was wearing something close to four layers of overcoat as well as two pairs of gloves and an extra pair of snow pants. But the cold stil dug through her and chilled her right down to the bone.

Of course, the wind wasn't helping either.

"Br-r-r-r," Tal Wam agreed as he hugged himself, hopping through the trenches that Vhetin and Jay were creating in the deep snowbanks. "Br-r-r-r."

"Cheer up," Vhetin said ahead of them. "We're almost there."

Jay sighed and pulled her heavy cloth facemask more securely over her face. "That's what you said half an hour ago."

She expected him to shoot back some dry retort, but he suddenly froze, and not because of the cold. He pulled his blaster rifle from under his shoulder and raised a fist to shoulder level, a military hand signal motioning them to stop.

"What is it?"

He stared at the horizon for a moment more, then tensed and whispered, "Get down. Both of you."

Jay didn't think, didn't care about the cold; she just sunk to her knees in the snow until her head was hidden from view. She felt Tal Wam dive down behind her.

Vhetin knelt and leveled his rifle, saying, "Drone. Over the hill up ahead."

Jay risked peeking across Vhetin's shoulder and saw a distant dot on the horizon, a hovering mess of probe arms and antennas. An Imperial probe.

"So Pollamo and Kokr _are_ hooked up with the Empire," Jay whispered.

Vhetin nodded and whispered, "Let's see just how well. We can't destoy the probe without sending up an alarm, but..."

He flipped a switch on his rifle and sighted up on the probe. When he pulled the trigger, his rifle emitted a loud sizzling _pop_ and a blue-white ball of lightning flashed towards the probe. The droid collapsed upon the bolt's impact, and Vhetin murmured, "_Got him_."

Jay frowned at his gun and whispered, "What the hell kind of weapon is that?"

"An Aratech MK-Four," he said, stowing his blaster again. "It's a convertible blaster-slash-ion bolt long-distance assault weapon for use against organics and droids."

"Clever," Jay said.

"I use only the cleverest," he replied. "Now let's move."

"No no!" Wam suddenly exlaimed. "No no! I not going. Going not I! I stay _here_!"

"No you're not," Jay said, spinning and grabbing his arm before the alien could run for it. "You're going to follow us and help us get inside the base."

"No no!" Wam cried. "Kokr kill me!"

"Then get this straight," Jay said, pulling her pistol and pressing it under Wam's leathery chin. "If you run now, I'll kill you myself. If you help us, you'll have _us_ on your side and Pollamo and Kokr won't be a problem for you any more."

"No no!"

Jay grabbed Wam by his throat and pulled him closer. "And where are you going to go? There's kilometers of snowdrifts in every direction. It's almost nighttime, when the temperature goes down almost fifty degrees from where it is _now_, not to mention the snowstorm that's still bearing down on us. You'll freeze before you get halfway back to the ship _if_ you don't get lost. And that's if you're lucky."

Fear lit up in Wam's red eyes, and he began to shudder with terror.

"So," Jay finished, "are you with us? Or would you like to head out on your own?"

The Duros glanced between his hands, seeming to weigh the possibilities in his mind. After a few long seconds, he gulped audibly and said, "I show you way into base."

"Good," Jay said, and shoved him in front of her.

As Wam began to wade ahead of them, Vhetin turned to look at Jay, then nodded with approval.

Jay blushed, her face thankfully hidden behind her warming face mask, and nodded back. As Vhetin moved to follow Wam through the snow banks, she allowed herself the smallest of grins.

She was getting good at this. A few more missions, and she'd be just as badass as Vheitn.

_But intimidation is easy_, she told herself._ It's nothing but looking brave to someone else. Actually _being _brave in action is another thing._

Vhetin and Wam were almost to the bottom of the ridge by now. Jay moved to follow them, holstering her weapon again. By the time she caught up, Vhetin was lying on his stomach, staring beyond the ridge with his helmet's macrobinoculars pulled down over his helmet's T-visor.

"Oh _shab_," she heard him mutter as he approached.

"What've we got?" she asked, settling down onto her stomach next to him.

"It looks like Tarron wasn't even close with his report," Vhetin replied. "These guys aren't just 'hooked up' with the Empire. They've got the Imp's full _support_."

Jay chanced a peek over the ridge and took in what looked like a well-camouflaged smuggling outpost: a clustered collection of bleached-white buildings that reflected the sunlight with an intensity that hurt Jay's eyes. She saw a troop's quarters, an armory, a comm relay, and a large storage depot. An assortment of beings were hurrying around the center courtyard, some of them carrying weapons, most of them tapping away at datapads or hauling crates filled with Force-knew-what.

A full squadron of stormtroopers in sub-zero equipment were marching across the snowy courtyard with fully charged DC-16 battle rifles. There were manned turrets in place on the roofs of every building she could see. And patrolling the perimeter was an angular, predatory-looking Imperial tank, its roof-mounted laser turret occupied by a stormtrooper gunner.

Jay had seen those tanks in action on at least five different occasions, and knew they were not to be trifled with. Those beam lasers could melt through a meter of plasoid in the blink of an eye, and the tank itself packed two powerful blaster cannons and missile launchers.

The entire area looked better-guarded than a Hutt's treasure trove. But apart from the obvious contraband smuggling going on, she didn't see anything that warrented such tremendous protection. Then something caught her eye.

"Wait a minute," she said, frowning in confusion. "That looks like a listening outpost."

He glanced over at her and said, "What do you mean?"

She motioned to what she thought was a comm relay building; a large structure with a huge, five-meter-wide dish mounted on top. The relay dish rotated slowly, picking up signals from all directions.

"That's a signal receiver," she explained, "and it's probably hooked up with even bigger satellites in orbit around the planet. The Empire uses them in the military to eavesdrop on enemy communications, but the satellites can be easily switched to monitor all transmissions from any kind of communication device. With that kind of tech, plus a little encryption decoding software, you could spy on every open comlink for a couple parsecs.

When he just stared at her, she added, "We're beneath the cover of their listening field, though, so your earlier transmission to Tarron won't have showed up on their scanners."

He nodded and turned back to the outpost, visibly relaxing. "Taking out that receiver would stall Imperial advancement in this sector for months, as well as cost the Empire hundreds of thousands of credits. It's certainly worth destroying."

Jay nodded, feeling a slight shudder of satisfaction at the potential for screwing up the Empire's plans so badly. It would be a good way to begin her revenge against the people who had branded her a traitor.

"So..." she said to Vhetin, "how exactly are we going to pull this off?"

"Not a clue," he replied slowly, surveying the outpost. "But... I think I'm beginning to see the first shreds of a plan."

"Mind sharing?"

He pushed the macrobinoculars up his helmet and pointed to the outpost, to the relay building in particular. "My HUD's sensors are showing that Pollamo and Kokr are both here and situated in your comm receiver building there. But they're likely to make a run for it once they see us coming. Fortunately, our Duros friend wasn't able to sneak back to tell them that we're on their tail, so they aren't expecting us yet."

"Okay, I follow so far. But how are we going to get in there?"

He stared at the outpost for a time before saying, "I'm going to have to take out the tank first; it's too big a threat. But I may just be able to use it to our advantage."

"You do remember that Pollamo's wanted alive, right?"

"Yeah. And I won't shoot at anything with a proboscis, just in case."

Jay looked back at the outpost, watching the tank begin its rounds around the perimeter again. "And where do you want me in all of this?"

"This isn't going to be like the facility on Corulag," he said. "I'm not here to take out the entire outpost; we're just here to capture Pollamo and Kokr and take out that relay dish."

He ducked back down behind the ridge and faced Jay. "So I'm going to create a distraction with that tank and hopefully scare most of them away."

"A tank?"

"Yep."

Jay stared back to the outpost, saying, "And how exactly are you going to hijack a tank?"

"If these guys follow Imperial protocol, there'll be a shift change before too long. The guards will be on break for five minutes, the tank will be refueled, and I'll have a perfect window of opportunity. I want you to take Tal Wam and sneak into that outpost. Try to pass off as one of Pollamo's tech employees."

She nodded. "Done."

He fished in a pack on his belt for a moment, then handed her a collapsible stun prod, currently switched off. He pressed a button on the side and the prod telescoped to its full foot-long length.

"I want you to take this," he said, testing it quickly. He pressed it against the ground and a shower of sparks flew from the tip. "When I start my distraction, I want you to lure Pollamo and Kokr to the storage facility; that reinforced building with no windows that was saw earlier. Do you know what I'm talking about?"

"Yeah," she replied, remembering the large, low-roofed storage facility.

"Good. Make it look like you're leading them to safety, then when you and Tal Wam have them alone, knock them both over the head with this sucker set to full charge. I'll blow up that listening device and signal you over your comlink when I'm ready for backup. When you get my signal, leave Wam with the bounties and come and help me deal with the troopers."

She nodded. "Okay."

He sighed. "There's just one problem."

"What's that?" she asked, slightly alarmed by his tone. His plan had sounded fine a few seconds ago. What could he have found wrong with it already?

"I can't move it fast enough with this environment suit," he said, motioning to his white _beskar_ suit. "I'll have to ditch it to have a full range of movement."

"But-" The temperautre was steadily dropping. If Vhetin fought in his normal armor...

He stared back at the outpost. "My nomral armor's heating systems will keep me functional for maybe five minutes. By then I'll have to get indoors, and quick, or risk severe hypothermia and frostbite. So don't expect me to have your back the entire time."

She sighed, trying to ease the tension of the moment. "Leaving the lady to do all your dirty work? That doesn't seem fitting for such an _honorable _Mandalorian."

"I'm not joking. If I don't get inside after my heating systems fail, I'll lose consciousness after thirty seconds, and my arms and legs will be frostbitten another thirty seconds after that. I'm going to depending on you, Jay."

She nodded. "I won't let you down, Stripes."

He nodded, barely even noticing her casual use of his nickname. He turned to Tal Wam.

"You," he said, "are going to go with Jay and guard Pollamo and Kokr while they're unconscious."

"Yes sir," the Duros muttered, his voice muffled through his bulky cloth facemask. "Yes sir. Sir, yes."

"And can I count on you not to run?"

"Yep yep."

"And not to try and wake those two up after we've stunned them?"

"Yep yep. I hate Pollamo and kokr. I nothing but bad nerf-slime to them. Kokr and Pollamo I hate. Bad nerf-slime is all I a-"

"Save it. Just make sure you keep them safe and unconscious. If you fail, you'll have us to answer to. Got it?"

Wam gulped. "Yep yep."

Vhetin psuehd the macrobinoculars up his head and began unzipping the bulky suit that fit over his normal armor. For him, the clock was already ticking.

"All right," he said quietly. "Let's make this work."

* * *

><p>Jay snuck down the snowy ridge with Tal Wam, trying desperately not to dislodge too much snow. She didn't want to be seen sneaking into camp. And in such a well-guarded area, the most miniscule sign of intruders would raise the suspicion of the guards.<p>

"Keep close," she muttered to Wam behind her. "And don't do anything to draw attention to yourself."

"I keep quiet," the Duros replied quietly. "Keep quiet I."

Jay tucked the collapsable stun prod into her jacket, careful not to stun herself in the process. Once it was secure, she crouched and made her way to a hiding spot behind a large, gray-white repulsor plow, designed to push multiple tons of snow out of an area with a single pass of its rotating blade. It was currently powered down, and the hollow area between the immobile blades gave Jay a clear view to the open courtyard.

After only a few moments, she saw the snowtrooper guard pause near the other side of the plow, rifles held upright in a combat-ready position. She froze, her hand hovering over her pistol. But the commander barked an order, and they began their march again.

She breathed a sigh of relief. Even now, months after her escape from BlueSend prison, she wasn't comfortable being in such close proximity to Imperial troops.

"Jay, are you in position?" Vhetin asked over her comlink.

She tapped a finger against the comm unit hooked into her ear and replied, "Almost. How close are you to revealing your big distraction?"

"The tank refuels in two minutes, but I'm ready for it. I'll be relying on your signal so I can get out of this snow suit and get ready."

"What, you'll be waiting for some kind of secret code word or something?"

"Hearing your conversation with Pollamo and Kokr will be signal enough," he replied. "Just keep your comlink activated and make sure you get them to that storage facility."

"I'm on it," she said, and he fell silent.

Tal wam took a step closer and murmured, "How you get into base? Get into base how you? Stormtrooper guarding everywhere!"

It was a good question. The Imperials were guarding virtually every entrance and exit to the courtyard, and if she did anyting but blend in with the rest of the beings here, she would not only blow her own cover, but Vhetin's and Tal Wam's as well.

She suddenly saw a human slip behind another nearby repulsor plow, apparently trying to get away for a 'fresher break. He tucked a heavy industrial datapad under his arm as he worked to unzip his snow pants.

She cast another glance toward the courtyard, then, seeing that the coast was clear, she strode towards the man.

"Excuse me," she said, sounding much calmer than she thought. The man jumped and zipped his snow pants up.

"What? What do you want?"

She nodded toward his datapad. "Can I see that for a second?"

"What? Fine, fine," he growled, shoving the 'pad towards her. "Just leave me alone! Give me some privacy, huh?"

"Thanks," she said, then slammed the heavy 'pad across his head. He let out a sputter and crumpled to the ground in a heap.

Tal Wam clapped his large hands to his lipless mouth in surprise, letting out a coughing gasp of, "Ah-ah-ah."

Jay debated about whether or not to leave the unconscious man to freeze in Rhen Var's lethal cold. Even though he was working for Pollamo and Kokr, she had no personal problem with him.

After a moment, she knelt and pushed the man beneath the repulsor plow. No one would find him any time soon, and the heat from the idling repulsor would keep him from freezing to death. Unless of course someone started the plow up.

As she was preparing to leave, datapad tucked under one arm, she paused, then pulled an armband off the man's jacket sleeve. It looked important; it may be some kind of identification badge or symbol of rank.

She turned and motioned to Tal Wam. "Come on," she said. "Let's go."

Wam nodded and stepped in front of her. "Pollamo and Kokr are probably in command center. I show you, yes? Yes, I show you?"

Jay nodded. "Go ahead. But don't get us caught."

Straightening, she followed Wam across the crowded courtyard, trying not to look out of place. Noticing that everyone seemed to be involved in some job or another, she tapped some random commands into her stolen datapad, trying to look busy. She barely looked up as she passed by the snowtrooper garrison, not even when she passed into the turret's field of fire. She just kept walking, trying to project the outward appearance of a busy employee.

Wam cast a glance around himself, then scurried toward the command center door. He slipped inside, and Jay followed right behind him.

Once inside, she saw a large room with windows facing the north, south, east, and west, dominated by a large hollow console tower with electronic security redouts showing the prison from all kinds of different angles. She saw with relief that the view behind the plows was not among them.

A tall, skinny Rodian with only one compound eye and a bright yellow headband was tapping away at a holographic command console in the hollow center of the tower, surrounded by hologram readouts that spun around him in dizzyingly fast orbits. The alien's compound eye was probably able to take in all the information with no trouble at all.

_Pollamo..._ she thought, feeling a little less tense. One of their bounties was here, now where was the other?

In one corner, near another door in the back, was a heavily-muscled and tattooed human with a long black beard. He was talking with two snowtroopers, a large blaster rifle slung over his back. He had a long scar over his left eye, and another down his chin and neck. He was wearing a black snowsuit with the arms torn away to reveal colossal muscles.

_...and Kokr. Good. They're both here._

Pollamo glanced up at them and his tube-like proboscis squeezed shut in the Rodian imitation of a frown. He tapped a button on the command console and stepped out from between the console tower's walls. He hopped down the small flight of stairs and approached them.

"Tal Wam?" he said in a reedy, bug-like voice. "What are you doing here? Did you find out who Vhetin was sent to hunt?"

Tal Wam was already sweating, and his foggy red eyes darted around the room in near-blind panic. That wasn't good. Jay had to do something quick, or risk blowing their cover.

Nothing especially brilliant came quickly to mind, so she decided to chance it.

"Sir," she interrupted, stepping in front of Tal Wam. She tapped another random command into the datapad and said, "I have the daily import manifesto, and I've noticed some odd anomalies that I thought you might want to see. If you could just-"

"I don't need to see that," Pollamo said, waving his sucker-tipped fingers in dismissal. "Give it to the manifesto officer if it's so important."

"I-I realize that, sir," Jay said, frantically grabbing for an excuse, "but this is really, really importan-"

She was cut off as a colassal explosion ripped through the facility, making the ground tremble beneath their feet.

"What the stang?" Kokr growled, stepping up next to Pollamo. The two stormtroopers he'd been speaking to wasted no time in drawing their weapons and dashing through the door.

Jay tried to look just as incredulous as the others and thought she pulled it off pretty well. _Damn_, she thought. _Vhetin doesn't waste any time does he?_

"What the hell was that?" Kokr said, pulling the rifle from his back. "It sounded like the perimeter surveillance post. That thing was crammed with explosives."

Jay's gaze flew wildly around her surroundings, waiting for the inevitable second explosion. And sure enough, seconds later there was a deep rumble followed by another ground-shaking explosion. Jay head screams in the distance and troopers frantically calling out orders.

"I-it sounds like someone's attacking the base!" Pollamo stammered, pulling off his headband and wringing it in his hands. "W-what are we going to do?"

Kokr grabbed his rifle from his back and muttered, "I'm gonna go out there and kick some ass, is what _I'm_ going to do."

"No!" Jay said, stepping in front of him. When Pollamo and Kokr glanced at her, she frantically thought for an excuse. Suddenly, one came to her. "Sirs," she said, "you're too important to this organization. We need to get you somewhere safe."

"Screw that. I don't need no-"

"I think," Pollamo interrupted as another explosion rocked the complex, "that we should listen to the human."

He cast a wide-eyed glance around the shaking building, then turned to Jay. "Do you have somewhere safe?"

Jay held back a triumphant grin and nodded. "Yeah. The storage building. The walls are thick enough to withstand a rocket blast."

Kokr glared at her for a long moment, then grudgingly nodded. "Fine. I'll lead the way."

He shoved her aside as he passed, and she stumbled back a few steps. As she, Pollamo, and Tal Wam followed him, she thought, _I won't feel bad about turning _him _over to Sekha._

Only two steps out the door was chaos. Vhetin seemed to be taking pleasure in his job. Smugglers and employees ran in all directions as chunks of molten metal rained from the sky. Stormtroopers were gathering together and preparing for an all-out assault. As she watched, the angular tank floated around the corner, and its large missile turrets swiveled to face her.

Her heart skipped a beat before she remembered that Vhetin was piloting the tank. After a moment, the tank swiveled away and targeted the huge receiver dish on top of the listening post. With a massive _ca-thunk_, Vhetin fired at the dish. The explosion melted through the bowl of the dish, creating a red-hot hole the size of the tank itself. Another missile hit and the edges twisted and warped in on themselves. After a third tank round, the dish itself collapsed into the outpost, and the whole building went up in flames.

"The reciever dish is down," Vhetin said in her earpiece. "Repeat, the reciever dish is down. Jay, I need you to hurry up and get Pollamo and Kokr to safety."

"I'm working on it," she muttered under her breath and broke into a run, following Kokr to the storage facility.

Suddenly, a missile round exploded behind her, driving her to her knees in the snow. She cursed and spun back towards the tank.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she cried furiously.

"I have to fire at you," Vhetin replied calmly, "or they'll catch on to us. Sorry, but no special treatment."

She scowled and clambered to her feet again, running towards the storage facility. "Just watch your aim. I don't want to die out here in this frozen hellhole from friendly fire."

Kokr skidded to a halt next to the storage building, spraying snow in all directions. He punched in a security code and the huge loading dock door slid open with a rusty scream. He motioned to the rest of them. "Come on!" he said, motioning them in. "Come on! We haven't got all day all day here!"

A tank round impacted the building just meters over his head and he cursed, diving into the building's dark interior. As another missile exploded nearby, Pollamo screamed – a high-pitched squal that made Jay wince – and scrambled after him. Tal Wam simply stared at the tank with wide eyes, quivering with fear. He seemed to have forgotten that Vhetin was deliberately missing them.

Jay gritted her teeth and dashed toward him, tackling him around the waist and pushing them both into the building. A missile round impacted the ground right where the Duros had stood, sending up a plume of snow and grit that splashed over them.

She covered her head and shouted, "Someone shut the damn door!"

Kokr screamed with rage and hit the door controls. The heavily reinforced doors slammed shut with a tremendous _boom_, plunging them all into darkness.

There was silence now, save for the muffled explosions outside and Tal Wam's terrified wheezing. Dust trickled down from the ceiling as another explosion rocked the complex.

Jay pushed herself up onto her knees, shaking dust and snow from her hair. She coughed and grunted, "Okay. I think we're safe in here."

Pollamo shook his head, his proboscis waving wildly, and stammered, "W-what now?"

Jay brushed snow off herself and said, "I think we should wait here until that psycho in the tank-"

"I don't think so," Kokr growled, pulling his pistol and aiming it squarely at her. She stared at it, putting on an uncomprehending face. In truth, her heart was pounding, her face going pale.

_Does he know? If so, how _much_ does he know?_

"K-Kokr?" Pollamo stammered. "What are you doing?"

"What the hell are you doing?" Jay echoed indinantly, her hand drifting toward her own blaster. Kokr saw the motion and shot the ground at her feet, making her jump back in surprise. A rain of grit and vaporized duracrete rained down around her.

"Don't think I'm onto you, girly," Kokr growled. "I saw through your little disguise the moment you walked through the door."

_Oh kark it all_. This wasn't good. But Jay couldn't drop her cover for even a moment. There was a slight chance that Kokr was overly paranoid or bluffing. So she put her hands on her hips and said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Kokr nodded to her armband. "You think I wouldn't recognize the armband of my own second-in-command? And what did you do with Relpo, huh? Kill him?"

Okay, that wasn't good at all. So Kokr had seen right through her disguise. There was no chance that he was bluffing now.

"Vhetin?" she muttered. "I'm in a bit of a jam. Any chance of some help?"

Static washed over her hidden comlink.

"Okay," she said, holding her hands up in a placating gesture. "What exactly do you want me to do? Apologize?"

Kokr grinned widely. "No. Just die."

He gestured with his rifle.

"Turn around and get down on your knees."

Slowly, Jay did so, putting her hands behind her head. Her heart was pounding in her ears as she listened to Kokr yank back the charging rod on his rifle. The blaster emitted a high-pitched whine as it powered up. A moment later, she felt the cold metal of the blaster's barrel press against the back of her head.

"Vhetin," she whispered, "if you can hear me, I need help. _Now_."

Suddenly, she heard a sizzling _pow_ behind her, and she felt the blaster barrel's pressure ease from her head.

"What the-" Kokr yelled, then there was another snapping sizzle, and he fell silent.

Jay whipped around to see Pollamo and Kokr on the ground, twitching and unconscious. Tal Wam was standing over them with his activated stun prod, which was throwing showers of sparks to the ground. His hands were shaking so badly he could barely hold the prod.

She stood slowly, and Tal Wam shrank back, whimpering. He dropped the stun prod and it died with a loud crackling _pop_, thowing them into darkness. Jay pulled a flare from the pack on her snowsuit's belt and threw it to the floor. The flickering red light threw enough illumination to see passably well.

_Now that was unexpected, _she thought._ I thought I was dead_.

She let out a long, relieved breath and stared at Tal Wam with newfound respect.

"You know," she said, kneeling and grabbing Kokr's rifle, "maybe I'll keep you around after all. That was pretty brave thing to do."

Pollamo shivered. "Are you kidding? Kidding are you? My just killed my bosses!"

She smiled and clapped him on the shoulder as she passed, slinging the rifle over her shoulder. "Yeah. Keep it up, and you may grow into a good bounty hunter."

"N-n-no thanks. Thanks no."

She smiled slightly. "Whatever you want. But until I get back, stay here and guard these schmucks. Make sure they don't wake up, okay?"

Tal Wam tentatively grabbed the stun prod again and whispered, "Okay."

Jay nodded and jogged back to the door. She hit the door control and ducked outside into absolute chaos.

She immediately ducked as four blaster bolts impacted against the storage facility above her head. She fell to her knees and sighted along the heavy rifle. She pulled the trigger twice and a charging snowtrooper sprawled into the snow, clutching at his chest.

She clambered to her feet, unleashing a volley of rounds at two other troopers who were cowering behind an icicle-encrusted plastoid water container. The barrel heated red-hot as four bolts hit it in the side. A loud groaning came from the barrel before it exploded, spilling half-frozen water over the two troopers. In the sub-zero temperature, the water froze almost instantly, anchoring the troopers to the ground. They screamed and began hitting at the rock-hard ice, to no avail. The wouldn't be going anywhere for a very longtime.

Jay grinned and ran on.

* * *

><p>Vhetin winced as a grenade exploded nearby the tank. A chunk of armor cracked from the tank's casing and flew through the air, embedding itself deep in the wall of a nearby building. The entire vehicle shuddered and began to belch smoke.<p>

_Okay,_ he thought_, time to ditch the tank._

The canopy hissed open, and the temperature within the tank dropped at least twenty degrees. Vhetin felt the cold cut right through his armor, and the temperature compensators struggled to warm his body temperature. He changed the compensator's settings to keep his body temperature just above hypothermic levels. That would conserve maybe two minutes of power. Not much, but it might give him enough time to get to safety once his power levels dipped into the red.

He ignited his saber-staff and leaped out of the tank, heading straight for a small group of snowtroopers hiding behind a large containment crate.

He wasn't going to kill them; he wasn't being paid for that. But he was going to scare them badly enough to run and never come back.

He spun his saber-staff in his hands, letting out the most ferocious battle cry he could muster. As one, the snowtroopers screamed and ran for a group of parked speeder bikes near the western perimeter.

One trooper, however, stayed behind. He fell on his backside, scrambling away from Vhetin as he advanced.

_Come on, kid_, Vhetin thought. _Move. Run away. Run._

As he got closer, Vhetin lowered his saber-staff and stopped a few feet from the cowering trooper.

"You're either very brave or very stupid," Vhetin growled, his voice low. "Niether of which are traits that I particularly envy. Do you want to die, miserable _aruetii di'kut_? Then get _moving_!"

The trooper nodded his head frantically and stumbled to his feet. He cast one last terrified glance at Vhetin, then sprinted for the last speeder bike.

Unfortunately, though the stormtrooper guards were gone, the troopers manning the turrets were still active.

_Very_ active.

Vhetin was thrown off his feet as the ground exploded beneath him. He flew a meter before sprawling into the snow. He heard blaster bolts stitching the ground behind him, and he jumped to his feet, running toward the nearest turret.

His instincts screamed at him that it was suicide to run _at_ the turret. But the calmer, experienced part of him knew that the only relatively safe place was within the turret's field of fire. Once he got below the gun, it wouldn't be able to shoot at him.

Of course, that didn't affect the other three turrets. Even as he watched, they swiveled to face him.

His back hit the wall, and the turrets tracked him wherever he went. There was nowhere to go. He grimaced and braced himself for a volley of blaster bolts in the chest.

Suddenly, the trooper manning the nearest turret screamed and tumbled off the edge of the buliding, hitting the snow with a heavy _thump_.

_What the hell?_ Vhetin looked around, searching for his mysterious savior.

Jay sprinted into his field of view, running as fast as her bulky snow suit would allow her to move and firing a long-range blaster rifle as she went. The turrets swiveled to face her, and the three remaining turrets – including the one directly over Vhetin's head – began to fire.

He stared at her, momentarily surprised by her fearlessness. Then he thought, _If I stay here for much longer, she's going to be ripped to shreds._

So he gripped his saber-staff, flipped off the auto-shutoff, and hurled his weapon like a javelin. The lightsaber pike flew straight and true, striking another of the troopers in the shoulder and sticking there. The trooper groaned and pulled the saber out of his arm.

Vhetin dashed toward him and blasted off on his rocket pack. The other troopers moved to target him, drawn to the roar of his pack's thrusters. Vhetin ignored them as Jay took the momentary distraction to her advantage and took them out one by one.

He landed heavily on the roof and grabbed the base of his weapon. He flipped it around so he held it near the emitter hilt and dropped into a well-practiced combat stance.

The trooper, holding his shoulder, began to circle him, also dropping into a cautious crouch.

Vhetin almost hesitated; this trooper had some guts. He seriously thought he could take Vhetin on with a wounded shoulder?

It would be a shame to kill him. Maybe he'd be able to scare him off.

Vhetin scowled beneath his helmet and growled, "Are you so enthusiastic to die that you'll fight a saber-wielding Mando hand-to-hand?"

The trooper grunted, blood staining his shoulder armor, and growled, "I've faced worse odds."

_Okay, so the intimidation tactic isn't going to work. Now what?_

The trooper chuckled and threw himself at Vhetin. Vhetin deactivated his saber-staff and slammed it into the trooper's chestplate. The plastoid armor plating cracked and shattered away from the trooper's body in a cloud of fragmented metalllic chips.

It barely even slowed the trooper down. He just ducked Vhetin's next blow and furiously backpedaled out of reach. Vhetin stepped forward and tried to slam his staff over the trooper's head, but the snowtrooper grabbed the staff and wreched it to the side. Vhetin's hold slipped, and the _beskar_ staff bounced over the edge of the building.

Vhetin ducked and tried to dodge a flurry of blows to his head and chest, driven to his knees by the sheer ferocity of the trooper's attack. He pushed the trooper back, placing his hands on the trooper's chest plate and pusing him back a few steps. The trooper landed an elbow between Vhetin's shoulder blades, driving him to his knees. The trooper lifted his knee and caught Vhetin in the faceplate. He staggered back, holding his hands to his helmet.

This didn't make any sense! Normal troopers didn't have advanced martial arts training! Who the hell _was_ this guy?

He got to his feet again and held his fists up in a combat-readiness stance. The trooper mirrored his motion and began circling him slowly. Vhetin pivoted on his feet, keeping the trooper in his line of sight at all times.

Vhetin took a single step forward and unleashed a flurry of blows as fast as he could. Kicks, punches, headbutts, anything he could think of. The trooper dodged a few, but most of the attacks landed squarely where Vhetin intended. Vhetin braced his feet and drove his fist into the trooper's solar plexus. His opponent doubled over, wheezing. Vhetin clasped his fists together and slammed them across the trooper's helmet.

The trooper grunted and fell back a few steps, then shook his head and jumped at him again. He tackled Vhetin, carrying them both right off the edge of the building. They tumbled in mid-air for a few moments before hitting the ground in a tangle of arms, legs, and armor plates.

Vhetin grunted and disentangled himself from the trooper, managing to kick him in the helmet as he did.

"You're good, Mando," the trooper panted, clambering to his feet. "I haven't come across someone this talented in combat since my training sergeant at the Academy."

Vhetin said nothing, just launched himself at the trooper and lashed out with fists, feet, and any other body part that could double as a weapon. The trooper staggered back from an elbow to the faceplate and fell against the side of the building. Vhetin pressed his advantage and followed up with a one-two-three punch to the trooper's gut, where his armor was thinned for maneuverability.

The trooper doubled over, then suddenly caught Vhetin with a powerful surprise uppercut to the chin. Vhetin flew backwards and landed on his back in the snow. He rolled back in a backwards somersault and came up fighting. He leaped into the air and shot out both feet at the trooper's chest. The trooper stumbled backward and his back hit the building's wall.

The trooper clambered to his feet with a furious growl and moved to attack him again, but the sound of a blaster powering up stopped him.

Vhetin got to his feet, holding his side as Jay skidded to a halt next to him, aiming her rifle squarely at the trooper's head. The trooper paused, slowly raising his hands in surrender.

"Step back," she said, tightening her grip on the trigger.

The trooper just stared at her defiantly.

"Step back," she repeated. "_Now!_"

The trooper took two steps away from them, hands above his head. As Jay took control of the situation, Vhetin scooped up his saber-staff and hooked it against his rocket pack. He let his back hit the wall, panting and holding his stomach.

"I'm going to make this nice and simple," Jay said quietly. "Get in that blue speeder plow over there and head for the horizon, or I'll vape you so fast it'll make what's left of your head spin. You try anything at all, and you won't make it a single step."

Vhetin let out a short laugh and said, "She's telling the truth. She's a crack shot with blasters of all kinds."

The trooper slowly turned and headed for the plow. Jay followed him with the rifle the entire way, even as he climbed up into the plow's pilot seat. He started the engine, gunned the throttle, and the vehicle rumbled out of the area. After a few moments, it dipped out of sight behind the snowy ridge.

The entire outpost was suddenly silent, save for the distant calls of tundra birds. Everyone had either been killed or had fled in whatever speeder they could get their hands, claws, or otherwise on.

The dark clouds had finally gathered and snow was beginning to lazily drift down from the sky. The entire field was churned with hundreds of footprints, but there was no one in sight. Everyone had taken speeder bikes and left as fast as the vehicles could carry them. There was no one left, save for Vheitn, Jay, Tal Wam, and the two bounties in the storage facility.

Vhetin panted, feeling a chill run through his body, and grunted, "Thanks."

Jay nodded and slowly lowered the rifle. "No problem. That guy really had you on your toes for a while there, didn't he?"

"He did," Vhetin nodded. "Whoever he was, he was well trained in a kind of martial arts that even I've never seen. Some kind of variation of Teräs Käsi."

"Never mind his fighting style," Jay said. "Are you all right?"

Vhetin grunted. "Sprained wrist, maybe a cracked rib. Nothing I can't handle."

He turned and began limping back to the storage facility. He shivered as another chill ran through him. He paused, confused, as yet another ice-cold spasm almost immediately ran through him, now accompanied by a wave of dizziness.

He stumbled, resting a hand against a nearby wall. He tried to catch his breath, but breathing became harder and harder to accomplish. He began to wheeze.

"Vhetin?" Jay asked, coming up behind him and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?"

He winced; even through his armor's flak vest and jumpsuit, her touch burned like fire. He shrugged off her hand and staggered away.

_What's happening? What...wh-_

His eyelids felt heavy, and he had a hard time keeping his bearings. He shook his head to clear it, then again. Darkness began to crowd the edges of his vision. Then he saw a dark red light flashing in the bottom right corner of his HUD.

His heating systems were offline. And had been for about a minute and a half now.

_Oh no._

He turned back to Jay, who was staring at him with worry.

"J-Jay," he stammered, his voice slurring as if he'd just gulped down a mug of _ne'tra gal_. "T-t-time's up."

Then darkness swallowed him.

* * *

><p>"T-time's up," Vhetin said, his voice quiet and slurred.<p>

"What?" Jay said. She didn't like the way his body was trembling. Had he been hurt during his fight with the stormtrooper? "What are you talking about?"

Vhetin said nothing more; he collapsed silently into the snow, twitching slightly.

Jay started and knelt next to him. "Vhetin?" she asked, shaking him. "Vhetin, what's wrong?"

He murmured something, and clawed at the snow. As Jay hauled him to his knees, it finally clicked.

_His armor's heat systems,_ she thought._ The power must have run out._

She began dragging him toward the storage facility across the courtyard. Kark it, he was heavy. She grunted and pulled harder, almost dropping him as she readjusted her hands under his shoulders.

"Any time you want to wake up, Vhetin," she muttered, "would be just fine for me."

She heard a low rumbling roar behind her, and she turned, thinking that maybe the mysterious trooper had come back with some reinforcements.

What she saw stopped her dead in her tracks.

A massive black and white cloud of dirt and snow was blasting across the frozen wasteland directly for her. The could must have been hundreds of meters high and miles long. As it drew closer, the roar began to drown out all other sounds. The wind picked up, and ice chips began flying into Jay's face, slicing through her facemask and coat like they were made of flittersilk.

It appeared the snowstorm had finally caught up with them.

_Oh _shab_, _she thought. _This day just keeps getting better and better._

She grabbed Vhetin more securely and redoubled her efforts to drag him through the snow. She activated her comlink and shouted, "Tal Wam! Get out here!"

His blue-gray face appeared in the window of the storage facility. "B-but I guarding the prisoners!" he shouted at her. "Guarding the pri-"

"I don't care! Leave them! I need your help!"

"B-"

"_Now_!"

She stumbled, and Vhetin's head flopped. He twitched in her arms, then suddenly woke, staring around at his surroundings.

"Wha-" he tried to get his feet under him, failed, and fell. Jay lost her hold on him, and he fell forward onto his hands and knees. He shook his head and looked up.

"What happened?" he muttered.

She got her arms under his left shoulder and hauled him to his feet, half-helping, half-dragging him towards the storage facility. "Your armor's heating systems must have run out. You're body temperature's too low. But if you don't mind, I'm kind of in a hurry here, so-"

The roar of the snow cloud crested a snowy dune a few hundred meters away and washed toward her like an out-of-control tsunami.

Vhetin muttered something that she didn't hear, then said, "I... I think I can walk."

"Not fast enough," Jay said, gritting her teeth as she dragged Vhetin along. "Trust me on that."

He finally got his feet under him and limped as fast as he could toward their shelter. It helped, but it still wasn't fast enough. The storage facility was still twenty meters away. Tal Wam appeared, sprinting as fast as his lanky legs would carry him, and grabbed Vhetin's other shoulder, adding his strength to their struggle.

The snow cloud cleared the ridge leading into the outpost as the three of them neared the storage facility. The roar of the wind was all-consuming now, and they had to struggle against the gale that blasted around them. The wind made their progress slow, and every second lost only brought the snow cloud closer.

They stumbled the rest of the way to the storage facility, and Vhetin collapsed to the floor the moment he was inside. He dragged himself into a corner, like a wounded nexu, and let out a hacking cough. Tal Wam disappeared into the shadows, scurrying off to Force-knew where with a terrified squeal.

Jay threw herself around the corner and hit the door controls. With a low hum and a metallic rumble, the reinforced door closed just as an explosion of snow hit the door, making it groan in protest. There was a high-pitched whine as the door locked and sealed, keeping as much warm air inside as possible.

Jay let out a long breath that she wasn't aware she'd been holding. She collapsed against the door and let out a dazed laugh.

"That," she said to no one in particular, "was about as close as you can get."

As soon as she'd regained her breath, Jay hit the buttons on a control panel near the door, and the lights flickered on one by one. Jay turned and saw row after row after row of sealed cargo crates, of all shapes and sizes. At the head of one aisle were two inert bodies; Pollamo and Kokr, who hadn't moved since Jay had last seen them. They were still nice and unconscious, and would probably remain that way for the rest of the night. Jay saw with satisfaction that Tal Wam had secured the two with stun cuffs in her absence.

Vhetin let out another deep cough and began fumbling with one of his belt pouches, his whole body trembling. She knelt next to him and took off her heavy overcoat.

"Are you all right?" she asked, wrapping it around his shoulders. Even if his hypothermia was only minor, he still needed to regain as much body heat as he could.

He nodded and coughed again. He pulled three plastoid tubes of a clear liquid from his belt pouch. He snapped them, and they began to glow with an orange light.

"TE h-heating tubes," he explained, tucking them into his flak vest. "When activated, they throw off a couple hundred Tanntrens of heat for a couple minutes."

Jay nodded as she pulled her thinner underjacket around her shoulders. "As long as you don't start stuffing them down your pants."

He chuckled quietly, then broke down into coughs again. "T-they aren't as good as actual body h-heat, but they should work fine for a while."

Jay cracked a bit of a smile. "Yeah, well I'm not going to strip down to my underwear and snuggle up nice and close to keep you warm, so keep dreaming Mandoboy."

"W-wasn't suggesting that."

They lapsed into silence for a time. There was a rattle and a crash from somewhere deeper in the facility, but that was probably just Tal Wam looking for food or something. The durasteel of the storage facility groaned loudly as the wind buffeted it from outside. Jay sighed and rested her head against the wall, closing her eyes and relaxing. It was difficult to do, seeing as how her body was shivering almost as badly as Vhetin's, but it was a relief to be able to just sit and think. She'd had enough of running and shooting for one day.

She didn't know how long she sat there, but some time later, Vhetin coughed and muttered, "J-Jay?"

She opened her eyes and looked over at him. He was slumped against the wall, his helmeted head lolling to one side, but she could tell he was looking at her.

"What's up?" she said quietly.

It took a while for him to work up the strength to respond. When he did, he coughed again and whispered, "You are one hell of a partner. You're _mandokarla_."

She smiled and nodded slowly. "Thanks, Vhetin. Even though I'm not sure what _mandokarla _means."

He laughed softly, then fell silent. Jay waited for a moment, making sure Vhetin was all right, then stood and moved to check on their prisoners.

Pollamo and Kokr had been cuffed to a durasteel shelf supporter. The supporter was made of durasteel, while the stun cuffs were made of folded cortosis. Even if they had an arc cutter on their person, it would take days for them to cut through their restraints. Those two weren't going anywhere. Currently they were both still unconscious. Pollamo was sniffling while his empty eye socket was twitching and Kokr was muttering to himself and drooling.

_Charming, _she thought. _These guys are truly to cream of the universe._

She walked back to Vhetin's corner and settled down next to him. She glanced over at him and noticed that he was sleeping quietly. His breathing was quiet and slow, his head resting against the wall behind him.

She smiled softly; she found something about the image of this seemingly invincible Mandalorian in such a vulnerable state strangely touching.

She settled herself more comfortably against the wall and decided to get some shut-eye herself. If this was going to be her career from now on, she had some pretty rough days ahead of her. It would be nice to take a bit of a break.

* * *

><p>Vhetin started awake, breathing hard, woken by the sound of howling wind around him. He stared wildly around at his surroundings, temporarily unaware of where he was.<p>

A moment later, the memory of seeing his armor's heating systems failing returned to his mind, and he sighed. Jay must have helped him to get into the storage factility when he'd passed out.

He took in the dimly-lit storage facility with interest, his gaze lingering on the two unconscious bounties.

_Good_, he thought. _They're still here_.

He pulled the now-drained heat tubes from his flak vest and tossed them aside. He winced, as the slightest movement sent fire through his body. That probably meant that he was slightly frostbitten as well as hypothermic. He resisted the urge to rub his arms for warmth, knowing from past experience with hypothermia that it would bring nothing more than pure agony.

He shivered again as he looked around again. Jay was sleeping, propped up against the wall only a few feet away. Vhetin stared at the overcoat she'd given him as a makeshift blanket, then decided to return the favor. He gently wrapped it around her shoulders, and she shifted slightly in her sleep.

Vhetin pulled off his gloves and stared at his still-trembling fingers. His fingertips were slightly blue, but the color was beginning to return to his skin. That was a good sign; that meant he his hypothermia wasn't overly serious.

He sighed and shook his head, booting up his HUD again. He winced as his HUD released a blast of silent amber light that his eyes weren't yet adjusted to handle. He blinked until his eyes adjusted again, then regarded his surroundings with increased interest. His helmet told him that the temperature inside the storage facility was currently holding around fifty-three degrees – a little chilly, but well within safety measures. The temperature outside, however, was another story. His HUD displayed that it was at least forty below and still dropping. He turned and observed Jay again.

_It's a good thing she was on top of the situation. If not, we'd all be dead right now._

He heard a groan from a nearby aisle, and he turned toward the sound.

Still tied to a shelf support, Kokr was slowly regaining consciousness. He groaned again and blinked a couple times. He looked around, squinting, and struggled against his restaints.

"What in the hell?"

Vhetin strode over, limping slightly, and squatted in front of him. "Good morning. Apparently you're the early bird of the group."

"Kark you," Kokr spat. "What in the hell happened to me?"

"You see," Vhetin explained, "you and your idiot brother took a rather large amount of money from Sekha. I'm sure you've heard the name."

Kokr's face began to slowly turn down in a deep scowl. Vhetin took no notice of it and continued, "And, as one could imagine, Sekha was pretty pissed about that. So she hired me and my partner to capture you and bring you back for... a fair trial, shall we say?"

Kokr snorted. "A fair trial from Sekha always ends with death. I tried to tell Pollamo that, but..."

"Don't try and play dumb," Vhetin interrupted. "That wasn't the only reason we tracked you two down. You yourself have high-level moles within Bloody Dawn."

Kokr visibly paled. Apparently, he thought his contacts were well-hidden. Vhetin suppressed a grin. _Not hidden well enough._

"H-how do you know that?" Kokr said, displaying the first signs of nervousness Vhetin had seen in him.

"Oh, I have my ways," Vhetin said. "All you need to know is that you're in a lot of hot water right now."

Kokr scowled and tried to throw himself at Vhetin, but only succeeded on tugging on his restraints. Vhetin chuckled and turned away, wincing as he once again put stress on his raw skin.

He saw that Jay was beginning to wake up and he nodded to himself. He had to thank her for her part in all this.

She pushed herself up onto her feet and wrapped her overcoat around her shoulders like a heavy blanket. She shivered and looked over at Pollamo and Kokr. Pollamo was still unconscious, and Kokr was glaring around at his surroundings with a gaze that looked as if it could boil water.

"Are those two giving you any trouble?" she asked, yawning.

Vhetin glanced at them, then shook his head. "The _aruetii_ didn't bother me. Kokr's a little fiesty, considering you and I hold all the cards, but he'll get over it when we turn him over to Sekha."

"Are you all right?" Jay asked. "How's the frostbite?"

He shrugged. "I'll be fine. How'd you fare during the fight?"

She grinned. "I'm not usually one to be prideful, but _damn_ Vheitn. I kicked some serious ass out there."

He nodded in approval, unable to stop a rare smile from coming to his face. "Good. It's nice to see that my training hasn't been completely wasted."

She suddenly frowned, then said, "But... I have something to ask you."

"Shoot."

"While I was fighting, there was this moment..." She hesitated, then said, "You'll probably think I'm a fool, but there was this moment when I didn't _use_ my rifle so much as _feel_ it. And I was suddenly... I don't know, it was like I was aware of every single thing around me. I saw this flicker of movement out of the corner of my eye and just _knew_ that it was a stormtrooper. And I turned and — guess what? It was a stormtrooper."

He nodded, listening intently.

She shook her head and shrugged. "That trooper would have killed me if I hadn't moved at that exact moment. And I was just wondering if... if you think I-"

"You're wondering if you have the Force," Vhetin said. He'd heard this many times before from fledgling bounty hunters.

She nodded sheepishly.

He put a hand on her shoulder and said, "I've heard of what you're describing; hell, I've _felt_ it before. I even asked Rame the same question."

"And?" Jay said, almost sounding frightened.

"It's _not_ the Force," he said. "And you are _not_ an undiscovered potential Jedi."

Jay sighed. "Good. I was worried... you know, Order 66 and all that. It would paint an even bigger target on my back."

He pulled his arm back and said, "What you felt was much more important, much more _powerful_ than the Force will ever be."

"More powerful than the Force?" Jay asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow. "Excuse me if I don't believe you."

"It's true. What you felt was pure, unfettered _instinct_. You've drilled in combat situations so much that your body reacts to certain conditions before your mind does. That's what saved you back there."

She nodded, looking relieved. "So I'm now officially a true bounty hunter?"

He turned away. "You've been a true bounty hunter for months now. All you needed was a chance to show it."

He headed back to the wall, where he'd left his saber-staff and his rocket pack. Jay walked with him, saying, "So we got them? The job's done?"

"This job," Vhetin corrected. "We've still got to track down Kassh."

Jay smiled and shook her head. "That seems like years ago."

He slung his rocket pack over his shoulders and said, "We've got a few hours before we have to head back to Triple Zero, so rest up while you can."

He hesitated, then added, "I'm proud of you, Jay."

His helmet's 360-degree vision picked up a pleased grin from Jay. She hid it quickly, however, and said, "So what now? We're stuck here until that snowstorm passes over."

He nodded. "Yep. While we're waiting, I'll try and contact _Void_. If I can get the autopilot engaged from here, I can remote-fly the ship to our position for a pickup."

Jay nodded. "That's a good plan. And Vhetin? Thanks. Thanks for all the support."

He said nothing, just disappeared into the darkness of the storage facility.

To be continued...


End file.
